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Peacefully at home, on Friday, December 12, 2025, Ross Somerville Rankin passed away at the age of 93.
Beloved husband of the late Christina (Mick) (2002). Loving father of Kathy (Ian), Doug (Heather) and Bruce. Cherished grandfather of Kayla (Aden) and Dan, Ellie (Matt) and James. Survived by his brother Allan (Leslie) and predeceased by his brother Bill (Lee). Treasured great grandfather of Harry, Olivia and Jasper.
Ross grew up in Bright’s Grove, ON at his father’s Lakeview Golf Club (later Crabbies) where he worked at the golf course, selling dance tickets at Kenwick on the Lake, the pony rides, and cutting ice from Perch Creek and Lake Huron to be stored in Ice Houses for summer cottagers. He later worked summers on the Imperial Windsor freighter sailing north to Port Arthur and east to Montreal. After high school Ross apprenticed and became an Iron Worker in Local 700. He joined Catalytic Construction and as a Supervisor at Chalk River Atomic Energy volunteered for a spill clean-up crew, for which he was awarded compensation and commendation from the government of Canada in 2023. Ross left Catalytic to form D. W. Rankin Limited with his brother Bill. Rankin Construction, as it was known, built churches, schools, apartment buildings, hotels, business, government and industrial buildings and plants in Sarnia and other cities in Ontario.
Ross and Mick hosted neighbourhood families and friends on their home ice rink, pool table, and beach, sharing memorable times skating, water-skiing, weiner-roasting and dancing (parties). Ross loved reading, boating, golfing, hunting and fishing, but most of all skiing in northern Michigan with his family, and later his beloved Lake Louise. In retirement Ross became an award-winning wood carver whose ducks, bears and people became treasured gifts to family and friends. Later in life Ross took up crocheting and, not content to follow patterns, set out on his own to design slippers, hats, scarves, tea towels and blankets – after seeing the Rose Window at Notre Dame in Paris he researched, designed and knitted a replica blanket. Ross outlived many friends and associates and described himself as the ‘last man standing’, but will be dearly missed by family, neighbours and friends.
In keeping with Ross’s wishes no service will be held. Sympathy may be expressed through donations directed to the Bright’s Grove Community Hub project at the Gallery in the Grove (www.galleryinthegrove.com).
