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It is with great sadness that we announce the peaceful passing of Ross Johnson, on Saturday March 12, 2022. Son to the late James and Lodema Johnson and brother to late Elgin, Ralph, Howard, Ron, Bernice, and Doug. He is survived by his beloved wife of 67 years, Joan (Stewart). Loving father to Lisa (Bret Snider) and his late son Jeffrey Johnson. Beloved grandfather to Cameron Watt (Jessica Harte), Kenneth Watt (Angela Horsfall), “GG” to Logan Watt “Logie Bear” and father-in-law to Dave Watt. Ross will be missed by his many nieces, nephews, great and grand nieces and nephews and brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law. He will also be missed by his many friends at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church and his colleagues and neighbours. His love of singing and whistling will continue in our memories and our hearts. He participated in the choir at Church and in many plays, musicals and singing engagements throughout his life. Ross dedicated his working career to teaching, being a teacher, vice-principal and principal in the Niagara region, moving on to the Ministry of Education in Kingston followed by the Northumberland Newcastle Board of Education as the Coordinator of Learning Resources. Upon his retirement he founded and ran his own AV business called “Take 1” and provided AV support to many in Cobourg and Port Hope. We ask that any donation in his honour be made to the Northumberland Hills Hospital Foundation or to St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in Cobourg. We also ask that you give a donation of a hug and kiss to those closest to you made in Ross’s Honour. Cremation will be taking place and a private family interment will occur in the Spring.
A Memorial Donation has been made to the following charity:
St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church
Our deepest condolences to Joan, Lisa and family. Lisa, I remember when your Dad taught us how to do trick photography using a video camera when we were teenagers. Love Sue, Chris and family.
A Memorial Donation has been made to the following charity:
Northumberland Hills Hospital Foundation
Dear Joan and family So sorry to hear of Ross's passing. He was a wonderful gentleman. I have many fond memories of him while attending St. Andrew's Church. My sincere condolences.
Memories of Ross make me smile. He and my Dad (Dick Turpin) were two peas in a pod in the St Andrews Sr Choir. They were like two school kids laughing and joking all the time. I can only believe that they will continue laughing together. Thinking of you Joan ❤️
Dear Aunt Joan & Lisa, It was such a shock to hear of the passing of Uncle Ross. I have so many memories! He will be missed. My prayers and thoughts are with you both. Sending you lots of love and hugs, Pat & Nigel xo
We will greatly miss Uncle Ross and will always remember him with love laughter and music . Our prayers go out to Aunt Joan , Lisa and Bret and your family . Karen and Dave and Family
A Memorial Donation has been made to the following charity:
St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church
Sending my deepest sympathy to Aunt Joan and family in the loss of a wonderful husband, father, grandfather and friend. I am Lois Johnson's (Elgin and Edith Johnson) daughter Debbie. I will always remember the large family reunion picture Mom shared with me taken in 1933 on the Hamilton Mountain and the mischievous smile on Uncle Ross's face. In my thoughts and heart today and always . Rest in Peace Uncle Ross
Dear Joan and family, I regrettably haven't seen you or Great Uncle Ross for a number of years. I am the youngest of Lloyd Johnson's girls. I am very sorry to hear of the passing of Great Uncle Ross. I often reminisce of the Johnson family reunions and being able to joke and banter with Dad, Uncle Doug and Uncle Ross. Clearly a sense of humour and mischievousness is in the Johnson genes. I am thinking of you at this difficult time. Lorna Johnson
Joan & family we are so sorry to hear of Ross's passing, our prayers & thoughts are with you
Our most sincere condolences to you,Joan and family.Always a smile!His help with audio visual equipment was second to none.Then there was the Marie Dressler presentation and I’ll Be Back Before Midnight.So talented. You are in our thoughts and prayers.
Dear Joan ,so sorry to hear the sad news of Ross’s passing ,My condolences go out to you and your family at this difficult time ??
A Memorial Donation has been made to the following charity:
St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church
Dear Joan & Family, We were saddened to hear of Ross' passing. We will remember his smile, his kind & gentle manner and his sincere interest in our lives and that of our family. Ross was a strong presence in our church family and will be missed by many.
Our condolences to Joan and family Ross and his friendly ways will be greatly missed
Our heartfelt condolences to you and your family during this time of loss. You and your family are in our thoughts and prayers. Deepest sympathy OPCMIA LOCAL 598
A Memorial Donation has been made to the following charity:
St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church
Our condolences to Joan and family. We will miss Ross on his daily walks and our discussions about the Blue Jays.
Joan and Family: Sending my condolences. Ross was a gentle man with a big heart, always willing to help and cheer up those around him. He will be missed by many.
My sincere condolences to you, Joan, and to your family. He always had a friendly wave and greeting when I walked past your home on Bickle Hill. Hope lots of good memories from those days will help you at this difficult time.
ross was everyone's idea of a good neighbour. i will miss chatting with him on his daily walk and i will be thinking of dear Joan in the days to come.
We would like to express our condolences to you and your family. Every time we saw Ross he always blessed us with his smile and warmed our day.
My deepest condolences to the family of Ross Johnson. I had the pleasure of meeting Ross approximately 40 years ago as a Library Tech student doing a placement with the Northumberland and Newcastle Board of Education. I spent a fair bit of time at the LRC under the supervision of Gloria Ashcroft, but I do remember Ross very well and am so sorry to hear of his passing.
My sincerest condolence to Joan and all of Ross’s beloved family. I will always remember his kind and affable disposition. It was a joy to perform with him in a number of musicals and reviews but especially Little Shop and Secret Garden. A truly lovely human.
A donation has been made to St. Andrew's Church in Ross' memory.
Joan and Lisa We were so sorry to hear of Ross' sudden passing. We have known Ross through the church for many years and have always admired him. His cheerful smile and compassion for everyone will be sadly missed by all. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family at this difficult time. Bryan and Roberta
My deepest condolences to you Joan and your family on the passing of my walking buddy and great neighbour. Ross was always outgoing with everyone, and will be sorely missed by all.
Dear Aunt Joan, Lisa, and family, Valerie and I were saddened to hear of the passing of Uncle Ross. I have so many fond memories, from my visits to the falls as a kid to our get togethers at family reunions. He was the one to keep the photographic record. We are thinking of you, all our love Brian, Valerie, Ricky and Adam.
Dear Joan and Family, My sincere condolences in the loss of Ross. It always made one's day special when running into Ross at one of our county wide schools or the LRC as he was always so good natured and cheery. As well, we met most Sundays at Kirk. A memorial donation will be made there in his memory. Treasure your memories, Audrey
Dear Aunt Joan, Lisa and family, Chris and I are so sorry to hear of the loss of Uncle Ross. He had a way of lighting up a room with his presence and warm sense of humor, I close my eyes and can still hear him, in that deep voice, "Kenneth my boy, how are you". Sincere condolences, Chris, Ken and family.
Dear Joan, Lisa and the Johnson family, Ross was such a gentleman. He always found time to chat, whether it was at a retired teacher's luncheon, the LRC, or a chance encounter. Coincidentally, we both had roots in education from the Niagara region. Ross had an impact on everyone he met. I always looked up to him and his many accomplishments over the course of his lifetime. We will all miss him dearly and cherish the many fond memories. Sincere condolences to his family. OLIVER ROSS JOHNSON April 7, 1928 - March 12, 2022 ~ REST IN PEACE ~
I will miss our monthly visits having Kentucky Fried Chicken together with coffee and tea and Joan's famous homemade oatmeal cookies....Ross was a very kind dear soul and I was very close friend with him and Joan even after we lost my dear friend Jeff Johnson their son...rest in peace Ross...u will be greatly missed ?
I have so many wonderful memories of our visits with Aunt Joan and Uncle Ross. From magical powers opening the windows on their station wagon back in the 60s to putting a fly on a leash for a scavenger hunt at the farm. Thank you Uncle Ross for capturing all these wonderful moments for us on film. We will miss you. Love Joanne, Angela, Amy, and Jackie.
Dear Joan and family. So sorry for your loss. Ross was such a nice man. Always loved chatting with Ross when he was out for his walk. Always pleasant and happy with a joke or funny story. I will miss him. RIP Ross
A Memorial Donation has been made to the following charity:
St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church
Lisa, We are so sorry for your loss. Our deepest condolences to you and your family.
Please accept our sincerest condolences. We met Ross through his A1 business and have only the highest praise for Ross, his professionalism, integrity, and his skills. We’ll keep you all in our prayers.
A Memorial Donation has been made to the following charity:
Northumberland Hills Hospital Foundation
Dear Joan and family My deepest sympathy to you at this difficult time Ross always had a great smile and joke as he was out for his daily walk
Dear Aunt Joan, Lisa, Bret and family, Dave and I were saddened to hear about Uncle Ross's passing. We loved our visits with him and Aunt Joan when we were in Cobourg to see our son and daughter-in-law. Uncle Ross always had a kind word to say or an interesting or funny story to tell us. We will miss him. Love Pam and Dave xo
Joan, we were so sad to read about Ross’s passing. Our deepest condolences to you and your family. We will miss his chats when he would go for his walks by our condo. Brenda & Darryl #301.
Dear Joan, We are so sorry to hear of Ross's death. He was a fine man. Please accept our condolences to you and your extended family. It seemed that he always had time for conversation. I used to enjoy talking with him at the semi-annual Retired Teachers luncheons at the Lion's Centre. Also, I knew him from the Brad Halls Concerts. He had a fine voice. Sincerely, Donna & Peter Brotherhood +
Please accept my deepest sympathy in the loss of Ross, your loved one. A good number of yrs ago (probably about 30) our daughters were involved in a musical when they attended St. Mary's High School in Cobourg. At the age of 14 the youngest one shared the lead role. As very proud parents we wanted this filmed & was advised that Ross was the man to go to if you wanted it done right! That’s exactly what I wanted & to have a keepsake for the girls. I got the perfect job from Ross.? Most of all I found him to be one of the kindest, gentlest, obliging and honest man I have ever met. To this day I never hear a song from Oklahoma without thinking of Ross. He certainly left a great lasting impression on myself and the girls. You have lost a true gentleman & I am so truly sorry for your loss. You can’t help but have many wonderful memories of such a gentleman, & movies with him in that will bring you great pride and help to heal the loss you are enduring. We would have a much better, kinder & gentler world if there were more like Ross in it. He will not be forgotten. RIP Ross
Joan, I am so very sorry to hear of Ross's passing. He was such a kind gentleman and a pleasure to have as a client. I will miss his smile and sunny personality.
Joan. Please know that my thoughts and prayers are with you. You and Ross were always a positive influence on me and the children. A kind word, a bright smile. You touched many. Remembered fondly. Hugs
To Joan, Lisa and all of your family: Heather and I want to express our deep sadness on learning of Ross's death. I first met Ross when he played the absolutely definitive Mayor Shinn in "The Music Man" almost 40 years ago. When I began my own "Words and Music" concert series at Victoria Hall in Cobourg in 1985, Ross was among the first singers to join me in those shows, and we was a regular presence in those concerts for the next 25 years. We appeared together in other shows like "My Fair Lady" and I can honestly say that every single minute I spent with him was a moment of true pleasure. He knew almost every song ever written, and his apparently eternal good humour made every encounter special. I know that Ross faced challenges and difficulties like we all do, but he always had a positive spin to put on the world, and was eternally looking to help everyone he knew in any way he could. Of course he likely could not have accomplished half of the things he did without Joan's constant love and support. I will always value our friendship and will keep his memory close to my heart. Brad Halls 670 St. David Street South, Fergus, Ont. (formerly of Cobourg).
Dear Joan, We are so saddened to hear of Ross’s passing. We always enjoyed our associations with him, both at the School Board and at Northumberland Players, not to mention the work he did for us at Take 1. There was nothing Ross wouldn’t try to help us with in our schools, complete with a characteristic smile or a laugh and a witty comment. It was always a pleasure to talk with him. We are thinking of you and your family, Jeanette Drury and Wayne McCurdy