Vernon Ross

Vernon Ross, 100, died Jan. 11, 2011, at Mat-Su Regional Hospital, surrounded by his family. A service is scheduled at 2 p.m., Saturday at Evergreen Memorial Chapel, 737 E. St. The Rev. Randy Bjerken will officiate.

Vernon was born May 1, 1910, in Elida, Ohio, to John and Anna Belle Ross, the 11th of 12 children. He came to Alaska in 1935 and married Sylvia Childers on July 23, 1937. Six weeks later, the couple moved to a trapline on Alexander Creek, where they lived for the next eight years. In 1945, Vernon and Sylvia began commercial fishing at Moose Point on the Kenai Peninsula.

From 1955 until 1972, they worked for the Anchorage School System as janitors. Vernon later became the day man at Romig Junior High while Sylvia worked in food services. During these years, Vernon was also employed as a big game guide, while Sylvia worked at the hunting camps as a cook.

In 1972, they moved to Barabara Point near Seldovia, where Vernon continued to fish until he was 92. The couple began spending their winters on the big island of Hawaii in 1988, where they were active in the local senior center and in the Episcopal Church. In 2003, due to Sylvia’s declining health, they returned to Houston.

Vernon was preceded in death by his wife and by one great-grandchild. He is survived by his daughter, Janette (Wallace) Riehle of Palmer; daughter, Anna Philo of Houston; son, Jim (Clarrise) Ross of Sitka, Ky.: son, Mark (Annie) Ross of Homer; 18 grandchildren; 27 great-grandchildren; and five great-great-grandchildren.

In an interview with the Frontiersman after his 100th birthday, Ross said that day was as good as any he could remember as the “good old days.”

“Right now is as good a time as I’ll ever remember,” Ross said.

Although he joined an exclusive club by breaking into triple digits with his age, Ross looked much younger than his 100 years and was as animated as ever when talking and joking about what he had seen over the decades. When asked about the good old days, he was quick to respond.

“Well, what happened today? We don’t worry about tomorrow. I’ll take care of itself. … Boy, the first day of May 1910, that’s a long time ago, isn’t it? … I have no idea how you’re supposed to feel when you’re 100 years old. Are you supposed to feel different? I don’t. I look in the mirror and say, ‘My God, you grew old.’ These are the good old days. You’re damn right. What’s wrong with today?”

Vernon’s motto was, “Live one day at a time. Do the best you can, be nice to the people around you, make them happy. If you make people happy, you can be happy.”

His family said, “He was always making people laugh and cracking jokes. He will be greatly missed, but he lived a long, good life and we have many great memories.”