John Dean Ross Obituary

Mr. John Dean Ross, 59, of Valley, Alabama passed away unexpectedly on Friday, January 7, 2022, at his home with his faithful pet Husky, Wolf, by his side. Mr. Ross was born on September 1, 1962, in Farmington, Maine. John loved the outdoors and during his childhood to teen years, he was active in scouting earning the rank of Eagle Scout. In 1984, John started his career in the military, serving over 20 plus years. John had many interests, including coin collection, scuba diving, traveling; but most of all, he loved being with family.

John Ross joined the U.S. Navy in 1984 and served 6 years as Medic. He then joined the U.S. Army and served 13 years as an Indirect Fire Infantryman. His 20 years of military service included tours of duty at Ft. Drum, NY, and Ft. Benning, GA as an Airborne and Mortar Instructor. He deployed to Somalia in 1992-1993. His many awards and decorations include; Global War on Terrorism Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, and the Joint Meritorious Unit Award. Additionally, John earned the Parachutist Badge, Pathfinder Badge, and the U.S. Army Gold Recruiter Badge. He ended his U.S. Army service where it began retiring as a Staff Sergeant at Ft. Benning serving as Mortars Instructor at the U.S. Army Infantry School on December 31st, 2004. After his retirement, with a strong desire to continue serving his country, he joined the Civilian Federal workforce supporting Project Manager Combat Ammunition Systems, Product Manager Precision Fires Mortars and New Equipment Training Team. For the last 18 years, John provided Mortar weapons training support to U.S. Service Members at bases worldwide including a deployment to Afghanistan. John served with great dedication and devotion giving 38 Years of Service to his country. John is survived by his spouse, Teresa Franklin Ross of Valley, Alabama; daughter, Jennifer Ross Dalton of Jay, Maine; son, Kyle Stewart of Lagrange, Georgia; sister, Bonnie Allen (Kermit Clements) of Wilton, Maine; brother, Robert Ross of Jay, Maine; stepdad, Greg Oakes of Farmington Falls, Maine; grandchildren, Emmett and Kaleigh Dalton; sister-in-law, Lisa (Jamie) Carr, brother-in-law, Randy (Karen) Franklin, brother-in-law, Rodney (Jennifer) Franklin, mother-in-law, Dilene Franklin, sisters-in-law, Shannon Rolbiecki, Cindy Ross and Amy Hersey-Cyr all of Maine; and nieces and nephews that were more like his children, Heather, Kelsey, Nicole, baby Sophie, Jon and Aaron amongst others that he loved dearly; great-nieces who were like grandchildren, Scarlett, Vivian, and Holly. John is preceded in death by his father, Stanley Ross; mother, Pauline Oakes; brother, Dale Ross; and brother, Travis Oakes.

A memorial service will be held at Johnson Brown-Service Funeral Home in Valley, Alabama on Friday, January 14th, at 3:00 PM EST with visitation one hour prior to the service.

Johnson Brown-Service Funeral Home of Valley, AL Directing