Robert M. Ross Jr. died in Grand Junction, Colo., May 16, 2013, after a long illness.

He was born June 10, 1927, to Robert and Mary Evelyn Ross, who operated the drug store at the corner of Market and Main streets in Celina for many years.

He is survived by his wife, Emilie Winkeljohn Ross; a daughter, Sarah (Paul) Maguffee of Columbia, Mo.; and two grandsons, William and Adam.

He graduated from Celina High School in 1945. After serving two years in the Merchant Marines, he attended Harvard College, where he received his bachelor's degree, and then McGill University, where he received his medical degree. After completing his internship and pediatric residency in Cleveland, he served in the Army as a pediatrician for two years.

His professional career included private practice in Grand Junction, Colo., and serving as medical director of a migrant health center operated by the University of Rochester, N.Y. He retired in Grand Junction after serving as the medical director of the University of Massachusetts-affiliated Tri-River Health Center in Uxbridge, Mass., from 1978-1991. That job encompassed his professional interests, teaching, administration, and above all, patient care.  

In later years, he enjoyed bicycling with Cycle America and he became an avid gardener, specializing in parsnips. He was a soft-spoken, thoughtful, and humble man with a wonderful sense of humor.

His ashes will be interred in the Ross family plot in Celina at a later date.