Service was a way of life for World War II veteran
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Carl Ross initially was rejected for World War II service because he had flat feet.
But that didn’t deter the 18-year-old New Kensington native.
“He just kept trying,” said his daughter, Joyce Andrews. “He tried all the branches, and nobody would take him. Then he went back to the Army and completed some testing, and the Army accepted it.”
It was one of the many ways Ross served others throughout his lifetime, including delivering food through Greensburg’s Meals on Wheels program.
“He was a very warm and friendly person who was very compassionate,” Andrews said.
Carl W. Ross of Greensburg died Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2019. He was 95.
Born Oct. 15, 1924, in New Kensington, he was a son of the late Carl W. and Carrie (Uncapher) Ross.
During his time in the Army, Mr. Ross advanced to sergeant and helped keep large guns in repair for the 126th Ordnance Medium Maintenance Company. That role didn’t place him on the front battle lines, but it still exposed him to the enemy.
When he landed on Utah Beach in the wake of the Allied D-Day invasion, his truck broke down, stranding him overnight.
“They told him to move into the field just 6 feet due to the field being mined, and not to smoke because of snipers in the area,” Andrews said. “There was shelling going on all around him. He said it was one of the longest nights he ever spent.”
Following the war, he spent many years coordinating reunions with fellow members of his company.
“They were tight-knit,” his daughter said.
Mr. Ross grew up in Michigan before his family returned to Pennsylvania. As an adult, he took on many roles in the Greensburg community.
After attending Albion College and Duff’s Business School, he worked for 33 years for West Penn Power, serving primarily in the employment and recruiting division of the personnel department.
His daughter said he knew a lot of people and had a lot of people skills, which served him well in the role of mental health coordinator for Westmoreland County.
He served in various capacities with the local Boy Scouts and with the Christian Layman and Salvation Army charities. He was active with Masonic lodges in Leechburg and Greensburg and at the First Presbyterian Church of Greensburg, where he was an elder, deacon and Sunday School superintendent and, until recently, helped serve the church’s Second Sunday Suppers.
An avid golfer later in life, Mr. Ross had several holes-in-one to his credit. A skilled pitcher, he played for many years with his church’s team in the Greensburg-area fast-pitch softball league.
Mr. Ross learned to play the saxophone and clarinet in high school and played with his Army unit’s pickup band. He also lent his baritone voice to the Alle-Kiski Barbershop Chorus and to barbershop quartets.
“He usually emceed the programs and told a lot of jokes,” Andrews said. “That was something he always enjoyed.”
In addition to his parents, Mr. Ross was preceded in death by his wife, Louise, and three siblings. He is survived by six children: Janet Schuchman of Greensburg, Joyce (Charles) Andrews of Blossburg, Beverly (Thomas) McClung of Kennett Square, Wesley (Holley) Ross of Hempfield Township, Mark (Gayle) Ross of York and Kenneth Ross of Mt. Pleasant; 15 grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren; and six nieces and nephews.
A Memorial Service will be held at 2 p.m. Dec. 13 at First Presbyterian Church, 300 S. Main St., Greensburg. Interment will be private. Kepple-Graft Funeral Home of Greensburg is in charge of arrangements.
Memorial donations may be made to: Parkinson’s Foundation, 200 SE First St., Suite 800, Miami, FL 33131; Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, 1500 Rosecrans Ave., Suite 200, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266; First Presbyterian Church of Greensburg, P.O. Box 1038, Greensburg, PA 15601; or Pine Run Presbyterian Church, 1117 White Cloud Road, Apollo, PA 15613.