Obituary of Ross Esmund Anderson

Ross Anderson was born in Sussex on March 29, 1956; he was the son of the late Clarence and Helen "Eleanor" (Cannon) Anderson. Ross was a mechanic and former co-owner of Anderson's Auto on Main Street, Sussex Corner. Ross loved his children and was the kind of person that would do anything for anyone; he would give his shirt off his own back to a stranger. He was handy, loved to tell stories and had a great sense of humour. Ross loved the outdoors, antique cars, animals, especially Tom cats. He was a "MacGyver" of sorts and could fix anything with a twist tie or other unusual things. Ross knew every back road of Sussex and surrounding area and his favourite places to go were Cape Enrage, St. Martin's, Martin Head and Fundy Park. The family spent a lot of time at the camp at Mechanic Lake; it was always a competition to be the first to see the lake when cresting the last hill. Ross loved nature, especially the Fundy coastline where he spent his summers as a child; he enjoyed taking the children for drives and telling the history of the area. They would always stop at this small cemetery out there that was called "HaHa Cemetery", pull to the side of the road and chuckle at the name and continue on. Ross was a kindhearted and gentle person, he never liked to see anyone upset or in pain. He would tell the story of how he hit a deer on his way to the camp and didn't kill it but it was beyond help, so he put it in the trunk of his car and drove it to his friend who was a hunter and asked him to shoot it. Was this just plain crazy or just absolute kindness for every living thing? Ross was always fun, there were never any rules; he made sure the kids had every outdoor play toy you could buy, from ski-doos to 4 wheelers. When the children were young he would tow them on the back of his ski-doo on a toboggan up to the top of a hill and then drive down to get them when they got to the bottom and then tow them back up to do it all over again. Ross enjoyed working on cars and was proud the kids took interest in what he was doing. He always took the time to explain in great detail. He would say "you won't know if you don't ask". Ross was a father, a brother, an uncle and a husband. He will live on in the hearts of Dawn Bailey-Anderson, his wife of 10 years; his daughters: Samantha Anderson and Paul Medeiros of Toronto, and Amanda Anderson and her husband Chad Cosper of Austin, Texas; his sons: Christopher Anderson and Devon Henderson of Waterford, Cody Anderson and Brittany Seely of Antigonish, NS and Brandon Anderson of Charlottetown, PE.; the mother of his children, Pat Alexander and Rick Hopper of Penobsquis; his brother Lester Anderson and Diane Peters of Sussex; his sister-in-law Clara Anderson and Walter Steeves of Sussex, as well as several nieces and nephews. Mr. Ross Anderson of Sussex passed away at the Kiwanis Nursing Home on Friday December 28, 2012. He was predeceased by his daughter Natalie in 2010. Arrangements have been entrusted to the compassionate care of Wallace Funeral Home, 34 Sunnyside Drive, Sussex, NB (506) 433-1176, where visitation will be held on Wednesday, January 2, from 1-3 and 6-8pm. A service celebrating Ross's life will be held from St. John's United Church at 11:00am on Thursday, January 3, 2013. There will be a time of fellowship with the family in the Church Hall immediately following the service. Donations made to the Living Memorial, the Canadian Blood Services or to the memorial of the donor's choice would be appreciated by the family.