OBITUARY

Gene Ross

MARCH 1, 1943 – OCTOBER 13, 2023

IN THE CARE OF

Weed Corley Fish Funeral Homes and Cremation Services

What is it about a ball in the water that makes a golfer go to great lengths to recover it? The thrill of the hunt? Because he could? Or did he just recognize a good challenge when he saw it? Through 50 years of playing golf, his favorite pastime, Gene Ross, a lifelong Texas Longhorn, amassed a collection of hundreds of golf balls, lost by others, recovered not because he needed them, but, well, because they were there, and unlike most golfers, he kept a retriever in his golf bag. Always the competitor, he welcomed a challenge, and he always played to win. On October 13, 2023, Gene left behind the golf balls, but his competitive spirit remains.

Nowhere was Gene’s competitive spirit more evident than on the golf course. He wanted to play the most famous difficult championship courses like Pebble Beach, and his goal was to play the top 50 golf courses in the country. He didn’t make them all, but he played quite a few.

“Unrelenting competitiveness” is how his tournament partner and brother-in-law Bill Brown described Gene. In one of their first tournaments, when Bill’s plane was delayed and he missed the start of their first 9-hole match, Gene teed off without him. He played the first 6 holes by himself against another 2-man team. When Bill arrived at the 7th fairway, Gene was ahead “2-up”. They won that first match, played well all weekend, and won 1st place for their flight. It was the beginning of several tournament wins.

Gene loved the challenge, but he also enjoyed the fellowship and camaraderie among his fellow golfers, the lifelong friendships, the travel, and the beauty of the golf courses, all shared with Beverly, the love of his life and his wife of more than 57 years.

And there were many great golf moments like playing in the Club Corp national tournament at Pinehurst several times as a member of The University of Texas Club team, and following Ben Crenshaw for an entire round at The Masters at iconic Augusta National in 1995.

But the golfing highlight was in January 2006, playing in the Mercedes Dealers National Championship at Kapalua Bay on Maui, where Gene’s 3-man team finished 3rd among more than 50 teams from around the country. During that week in Hawaii, Gene and Beverly also belatedly celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary. The best part of the week, however, was the underrated Texas Longhorns’ big win over USC for the National Championship! They watched the game on TV in their hotel room, and when victory came, Gene shouted from the balcony “TEXAS LONGHORNS! NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!! They wore burnt orange and big smiles all week long.

Gene’s competitive spirit was always on display, and it started early.

Born March 1, 1943, in Crane, Texas, Robert Eugene “Gene” Ross was the only child of Nancy Lee Goodall and Eugene LeGrande Ross. The family lived in a Gulf Oil Camp, and Gene grew up around the rough and tumble Texas oil fields.

When he was in elementary school the family moved to Odessa, a booming oil town 30 miles north of Crane. One night, when Gene was in the 8th grade, they were having dinner at a local cafeteria. Across the room he spotted a cute new girl in town, Beverly Brown. Their eyes met, sparks flew, and thus began a courtship that lasted through high school, college and beyond.

Gene, aka Stringbean or Geno, was a 4-sport letterman in Odessa. When the new Permian High School opened in 1959, he became the first quarterback for the Permian Panthers. He was a team captain his senior year and helped lead the Panthers to the District 2-4A Championship. By the time Gene graduated from high school in 1961, Odessa had tripled in population and the Permian Panthers were fast becoming a football powerhouse, the legend behind “Friday Night Lights” and MOJO. His competitive spirit was likely born and nurtured in West Texas.

Four years later, Gene and Beverly married on December 18, 1965. Little did they know, when planning the wedding, that Permian would be playing for their 1st State Football Championship the same night – Permian won! Timing is everything, and Gene always joked that it was difficult to choose between attending his own wedding or the PHS championship game!

Gene’s “Longhorn for Life” status began when he was recruited by legendary coach Bibb Falk and offered a full 4-year scholarship to play baseball for the Texas Longhorns. Playing 2nd base, he lettered all four years on a team that made two trips to the College World Series. His “T” Ring, awarded to athletes who lettered in their sport and graduated from the University of Texas, is a treasured possession and he wore it proudly. He graduated from UT with a BA in Psychology and a BBA with a major in Personnel Management.

As Gene was about to begin his professional career, life was interrupted by the war in Vietnam. Being drafted was unexpected and unsettling, but he completed Officer Candidate School at Ft. Benning, Georgia. During the last few weeks of OCS he suffered a serious knee injury which required surgery and prohibited serving in a combat situation. So after receiving his commission he was assigned to the US Army Infantry School and remained at Ft. Benning for the duration of his military service.

Following discharge from the Army in late 1970 Gene returned to The University of Texas, working at the UT System Personnel Office. In 1974 he and Beverly moved to Houston where he began his long career at the Memorial – Hermann Healthcare System, one of the largest non-profit healthcare systems in Texas. He retired as Vice President, Human Resources in 2000, and they returned to Austin.

Gene was a staunch supporter of the hospital’s employees. At his retirement celebrations, he was described as a “people person,” known for his honesty, integrity, genuine caring, and loyalty. Gene was also known for the unusual practice of joining employees for lunch in the hospital cafeteria, especially if pea-salad was on the menu!

Ever the athlete, Gene started playing golf in college and later became an excellent competitive golfer, skier, and tennis player. In Houston, he began playing in golf tournaments and became a very good mid-to-low handicap player. He played in well over a hundred charity or community events and club championships.

Gene especially loved competing in various member-guest tournaments for more than 25 years. These weekend tournaments featured not just several rounds of golf, but events and festivities for couples — parties, dinners and entertainment which Gene and Beverly always enjoyed.

Through the years they shared many other mutual interests. They both loved sports, as participants and spectators. As spectators, it can only be said that they took their Longhorn sports very seriously and were season ticket holders for many years.

They loved to travel, especially to the Rocky Mountains, to Hawaii and Canada, including many golf and ski trips with longtime friends. They enjoyed fine dining and wine, Mexican food, and a perfectly cooked rare steak (Gene was a master on the grill, a skill he learned from his dad.) Gene also loved liver and onions, which was NOT on their shared “like” list. They liked concerts, live entertainment, music, and nightly episodes of JEOPARDY! Gene, however, also loved Game of Thrones, old war movies, James Bond repeats, and loud music…definitely not on Beverly’s list.

But most of all, Gene loved Beverly, and their sweet pups Muffy, Abbygirl and DuffyDog. He treasured his longtime friends, and his family of brothers and sisters-in-law, and nieces and nephews that he loved as his own. And they loved him.

A private family graveside service will honor Gene’s life, and a gathering of friends and family will be held at a later date to remember Gene. He will always be cherished by his beloved wife Beverly, his brothers and sisters-in-law Judy and John Bush and Bill and Karen Brown, three nephews Robb Bush, Jason Bush and wife Jenifer, Travis Brown and wife Carrie, his niece Courtney Brown and husband Casey Bump and twelve adored great-nieces and nephews, as well as several cousins who were special to him.

His was a life of competition, accomplishment, and celebrations. When multiple health challenges arose, he faced them as he had always lived, with the competitive spirit that marked his life. And we celebrate that spirit as we remember him with love and gratitude.

The family requests that any donations in Gene’s memory be directed to The Texas Baseball Alumni Scholarship, Longhorn Foundation, P.O. Box 7399, Austin, TX 78713.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.wcfishnorth.com for the Ross family.