 LT. COL. THOMAS ROSS U.S. Air Force, Retired Lt. Col. Thomas C. Ross flew his last mission Monday, Oct. 8, 2012. He passed away in his sleep at Heritage Springs Assisted Living in Las Vegas. Our dad was born July 28, 1932, in Sterling, Kan. After graduating from Kansas State University in 1954, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force. One year later, he pinned on his wings as a fighter pilot. In 1959, he was offered a chance to try out for the U.S. Air Force demonstration team, the Thunderbirds. But as he and mom, with son, Tommy Jr , wanted to go overseas, he turned them down. That next assignment was in Tripoli, Libya, North Africa. That is where his other two sons, Donald Mark and Kevin Wayne were born. After several more assignments he volunteered for Vietnam to see if he could do what he had been training to do since joining the Air Force. After nine months and 237 missions, he was thankfully back home with his wife and three sons. His final assignment was Andrews Air Force Base, where he finished his career after more than 24 years. It was now time to retire and move to Las Vegas, where he became a member of the Southern Nevada chapter of the Civil Air Patrol. He was also a member of the Red River Valley Fighter Pilots Association and the Order of the Daedalians. He was preceded in death by his sons, David Thomas and Thomas Clark Jr.; sister, Judith Ann; and his wife, Yvonne Rae. He is survived by his sister, Nancy Louise; sons, Donald Mark and Kevin Wayne; his grandchildren, Gunnery Sargeant Jonathan Thomas Ross, U.S. Marine Corps, Raquel Markie Ross and Kelsi Nikkole Gossett-Ross; and his great-grandchild, Cameron Thomas Ross. Lt. Col. Ross will be laid to rest in his home town of Wellington, Kansas.
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