A Baltimore native and lifelong resident of Maryland, Thelma Ross (nee Brown) was born on August 11, 1919 in Baltimore, Maryland. A product of Baltimore City Schools, she met and married the late Raphael V. Ross Sr. on December 10, 1936. The marriage produced six children. A lifelong rock of the community of South Baltimore, Thelma Ross was known by neighbors, friends and loved ones to be the one to show up to the hospital, funeral home or family event, even if no one else did. A beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, she is survived by three of her children, Claudia Ross Johnson, Kenneth M. Ross, and Julius A. Ross; daughter- in-law, Alice Ross; former daughter-in-law, Kathleen Ross; three grandchildren, Karen Ross Blake, Martin Ross, and Carla-Elaine Johnson; two great-grandchildren, James Blake and William Blake, and numerous devoted nieces, nephews, other family members and friends. A mother is one who cares, shares, nurtures, and inspires. Thelma Ross did all of this and more. Her humor, persistence, amazing memory for all those tiny details that one might not wish to remember makes her passing one of sorrow. For those who knew and loved her, we thought that she would live forever, or at least to see her one hundredth birthday. While she outlived her husband, three of her six children, all of her siblings, a son-in-law and a host of family and friends, her spirit remained eternally youthful,yet practical. She cared what happened to each person who crossed her path. Decades later, she remembered all of her children's friends, including the students who went to school with her children, from grade school through college. Whether she had met you once or saw you every week, she remembered you. Age and blindness did not diminish the spark of vivaciousness in her character. Her eyes gleamed brown with black and silver eyelashes. She looked at you with a gaze that was frank, direct, and filled with interest, even though she could not really see you. When she really wanted to focus on the conversation, she would take your hand in both of hers, pull you close and ask you to repeat whatever it was that you said. She would hold your hands in hers and not let go the entire time. Her favorite foods included white bean soup, her homemade biscuits light as a feather, and lemonade. She thoroughly enjoyed almost any dessert, especially yellow chocolate cake. She was called home to her final rest after complications from a recent illness during the early hours of Friday, March 20, 2015. We love, we miss, we mourn, and we thank all those who mourn with us. - The Family Viewing Joseph H. Brown Jr. Funeral Home Wednesday, March 25, 2015 04:00 PM - 08:00 PM Email Details 2140 N. Fulton Ave.
Baltimore, Maryland 21217 Directions Funeral Service Joseph H. Brown Jr. Funeral Home Thursday, March 26, 2015 12:30 PM Email Details 2140 N. Fulton Ave.
Baltimore, Maryland 21217 Funeral to begin @ 1:00 pm Directions