[ARSCLIST] Obituary for John Ross

["L. Sercombe" <julius@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I'm sorry to report that John Ross, who often posted to the ARSC list, 
recently passed away in Seattle. The following notice is reprinted 
courtesy of The Mudcat Cafe Website -

John Maxwell Ross died April 6, 2009, of natural causes at his home in 
Seattle following a sudden heart attack. An only child, he was preceded in 
death by his parents.

John was born April 3, 1947 in Brookline, Massachusetts. He was a graduate 
of St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland and served four years in the 
U.S. Coast Guard, where he was stationed in St. Louis, Missouri. His world 
travels eventually brought him to Seattle, where he spent the next few 
decades following his personal and professional interests.

An accomplished author of technical books for Microsoft Press, No Starch 
Press and other publishers, he also pursued other writing projects for 
various entities, including a planned study of the writings of E.B. White. 
He combined his Coast Guard radio engineering experience and his love for 
music and folklore to become an asset to many local organizations, 
including KRAB Radio, Northwest Folklife, and the Seattle Folklore 
Society. He was a dedicated archivist and was deeply committed to 
preserving the musical heritage of the past in new and different media. He 
was a frequent contributor to the WELL and a member of the Mudcat Caf 
(along with other "Folk Scare alumni").

In addition to his literary and musical pursuits, he enjoyed collecting 
(and drinking) local Pacific Northwest wines and was familiar with many of 
the wineries. He was interested in tinplate trains and frequently 
volunteered at the train shows held during Thanksgiving weekend at the 
Pacific Science Center. He served on the Wallingford Community Council and 
enjoyed making homemade apple cider with members of the Northwest Cider 
Society.

John was a philosopher, a contributor, an iconoclast and a source of 
knowledge; and he will be missed by the many friends he made through all 
his different interests.

A memorial service is being planned for some time in the future. If you 
are interested in knowing more about it, please contact Doug Manana at 
dougmanana@xxxxxxxxxxxx

For those wishing to honor his memory and the many contributions he made 
to various groups, donations to the Seattle Folklore Society, Northwest 
Folklife, or St. John's College (Annapolis, MD) are suggested.

Reprinted courtesy of The Mudcat Cafe Website: http://mudcat.org/