Ross Bain

Ross Bain was a truly great guy and I will miss him very much. I want to share with you some of my view of Ross' life.

During his last few months I spent a lot of time thinking about him and what I would say about him today. I find it very hard to remember all the things I want to say at times like this so I like to write them down. I'm sure that most of us don’t really know what will be said about us when we go, and it occurred to me that Ross might like to hear this before he left us. So I printed it out and sent it to him. I felt a bit bad about giving him a send off while he was still with us but I decided to take the chance.

This is how I will remember him.

Ross the self-made man:

Ross started out working in a tire store and ended up owning three of them. This wasn't because he inherited them or because of luck, it was because he learned what it meant to sell tires and got to be very good at it. Ross's customers came back. They came back because he offered them a good service and didn't try to rip them off. He kept on top of his staff - far more than they liked I'm sure, and always made sure that the stores were run as efficiently as possible.

Ross the straight-talker:

Ross said what he wanted to say. He didn't use fancy words or beat about the bush, he just came right out and said it. If he thought you were doing something wrong or the wrong way, he'd let you know. That doesn't sit well with many people but his straightforward way and honest talk sat well with me.

Ross the speed demon:

Ross had boats, motorcycles, four-wheelers, snowmobiles and even a plane at one time. That man sure liked to go fast. I've ridden behind him - way back behind him on a snowmobile. I was terrified I'd kill myself. Ross was just driving, being Ross.

One time when he was out visiting us in Colorado, he was demonstrating to the kids how fast one of his 4-wheelers could get around our track in the woods and flipped it. Typically - he wasn't hurt at all. I spent days worrying if the kids would imitate him.

Ross the generous guy:

Ross was always very generous with his own time and skills. I know that he worked on various projects at many of our houses. He always seemed to have plenty of time to spend on other peoples projects.

He also took his grandkids on some wonderful outings. I remember when he dragged a whole load of them of to Disney World one year and of course the many trips to Alaska which I'm sure the kids will remember for the rest of their lives. My kids have quite a few stories that begin with: "When I went to Alaska ...".

The Playful Ross:

We were having some yard work done at our house and the contractor had left a bulldozer there over the weekend. Ross happened to be visiting and the first thing he wanted to do was find the keys and give it a spin. Apparently during his youth he would visit a local building site at night, hot-wire the heavy machinery and play with it for a while. In the morning the workers would come back to find their backhoe had moved during the night but couldn't figure out how.

Ross the Craftsman:

Ross has made many, many things from custom wooden pens to whole houses. Everything I've seen him do has been done well and done with pride. I remember when he was building the house by the golf course. I went out to help one weekend and he was telling me about just how square and upright the garage was. He was proud to say that the corner to corner measurements only differed by about 1/16 of an inch. Most other builders would have settled for much more than that.

That garage project has special memories for me because of two things I did with Ross. The first was raising the wooden beam that spans the garage door. We had no crane to use but Ross had a block and tackle so we rigged the block to the top of a post bolted to the garage door uprights and hauled it up there by hand. It might not sound all that scary now but it sure was when we were under it hauling on the rope.

The second part was working on the roof. Ross didn’t like heights much and we needed to get some work done on the steep aluminum covered roof so I tied up a harness out of rope, threw it over the roof and had him hold on to one end while I did the job. There aren't many people I would have trusted to hold that rope.

Ross the giver:

Ross wasn't one for charity. He spent most of his life giving not taking. The last few months must have been very hard for him. He was stuck indoors most of the time, unable to feed himself and knowing that the end was coming. He couldn't do all the things he wanted to do for himself, and had to put up with the rest of us fussing over him and probably not doing those things the way he would have liked.  It was tragic to see such an active person with a love for the outdoors confined to a chair in front of the TV. Mind you it was a really nice TV!

Ross the practical man:

Ross was a very practical man. Months before the end, he was letting us all know what was going on with him and telling us there was nothing we could do to help. He knew the score and he wanted everyone else to understand that. I'm sure that we all felt helpless, but Ross knew that too. Every time I spoke to him, he'd remind me at some point or other that he was on his way out and that's just how it was. No use complaining about it. During the last few months he managed one last trip to Alaska and a big surprise for Tammy's 50th birthday. Ross left Alaska for the hospital in Seattle and sent Arleta to see Tammy. I know that's not what Arleta wanted to do but Ross had it all arranged. It was a great surprise for Tammy and I enjoyed telling Ross about it. "That's great" he said. Just the way he did when things worked out right.

Ross, my friend:

Ross was like a second father to me. I really enjoyed the times I spent working with him and even the terrifying snowmobile rides. Ross always seemed to see the best in me and I think he was that way with many people.

Ross Bain was my friend and I will miss him very much indeed.