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June 14, 2013
Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Monday from 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM. A funeral service will be held at 11:30 AM on Monday, at the funeral home. Burial will follow at the Laurel Grove Cemetery, Totowa.
Everett C. Ross, age 93 of Totowa Boro and Cedar Grove died on Friday, June 14, 2013. He had been receiving compassionate care from Margarita Sanchez for more than thirteen years. He is eternally grateful to her for that she did.
He was born in Paterson and had spent his youth in Totowa, attending Memorial Grammar School. As was the practice in those days, all Totowa students attended Paterson’s Central High School, but Everett dropped out in the eleventh grade to begin working. The depression was in full swing and he needed to help support his family.
His first employment was picking beans on the Nellis Farm in Wayne, which is the site of the Wayne Township Municipal Building now. He would return to that farm whenever he needed spending money and harvested many different crops, depending on the season, including tomatoes, carrots and corn. The pay rate at the Nellis farm was one dollar per day or a peace work rate which was thirty five cents for every bushel of beans picked. He also plowed those same fields with teams of horses and he recalls the Nellis family purchasing a Ford gas powered tractor which he ran on the farm. That tractor had solid iron wheels with tread spokes to be able to grab the earth as the wheels turned. Later the Nellis family purchased a Ford Ferguson tractor with large treaded rubber wheels. He recalls the carrot crop on the farm being harvested in the fall cleaned and buried under many large piles of earth to protect them from the frost. It was the practice to dig up those covered carrots from time to time and deliver fresh carrots to the market even in the dead of winter.
He often spoke of getting a traffic ticket for driving a Ford Model “T” on Valley Road in Wayne when he was just fifteen years old. Wayne employed just two police officers at the time; Officer Anderson and Officer Taylor. They took exception to his age and that he was driving without a license, earning him his first ticket.
In his youth and beyond he went from job to job trying to make a living. He once worked in Beatties Carpet Mill in Little Falls for fifteen dollars a week. That was for a forty hour week and the rate was thirty six cents per hour. It so happens that he got paid on the second week of work and he expected thirty dollars and instead they gave him $15 and told him that it was their practice to hold back one week of pay. He did not agree with that concept and soon parted ways with that job. He went to work in a machine shop and learned the machine tool trade which brought him to a machinist’s job at Curtis Wright Aeronautical in Paterson.
Everett joined the U.S. Navy on December 8, 1942, just one day after the Pearl Harbor attack. He served as an Aviation Machinist’s Mate Second Class and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal directly from the Secretary of the Navy “For heroism and extraordinary achievement in aerial flight during operations against enemy Japanese forces in the Western Pacific War Area from March 3 to April 1, 1945. Completing his fifth mission during this period Ross contributed materially to the success of his squadron. His gallant devotion to duty was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Services.” Everett eventually completed more than twenty missions.
Everett was gifted with an independent spirit, was very ‘upbeat’ and knew what a hard-work ethic was. He decided to become an entrepreneur. He established Everett Ross Masonry based in Totowa. His hard work and wonderful social personality brought him much success in that field.
He was credited with the construction of many area buildings including Community Fire Company No. 1 on Parish Drive in Wayne. He also built the bell monument that sits out front of that firehouse. Because of his generosity, he donated his services and the Fire Company made him an “Honorary Fire Chief” . He also was the stone mason involved in the construction of the Bethwood Restaurant in Totowa.
Surviving are his wife Emilia Rome of Totowa, one daughter; Elizabeth Ross of Totowa, and one sister Margaret Parker of Pompton Plains. He was predeceased by two sisters; Shirley and Dorothy, and three brothers William, Walter and Bernard.
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Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Monday from 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM. A funeral service will be held at 11:30 AM on Monday, at the funeral home. Burial will follow at the Laurel Grove Cemetery, Totowa.
June 14, 2013
Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Monday from 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM. A funeral service will be held at 11:30 AM on Monday, at the funeral home. Burial will follow at the Laurel Grove Cemetery, Totowa.
Everett C. Ross, age 93 of Totowa Boro and Cedar Grove died on Friday, June 14, 2013. He had been receiving compassionate care from Margarita Sanchez for more than thirteen years. He is eternally grateful to her for that she did.
He was born in Paterson and had spent his youth in Totowa, attending Memorial Grammar School. As was the practice in those days, all Totowa students attended Paterson’s Central High School, but Everett dropped out in the eleventh grade to begin working. The depression was in full swing and he needed to help support his family.
His first employment was picking beans on the Nellis Farm in Wayne, which is the site of the Wayne Township Municipal Building now. He would return to that farm whenever he needed spending money and harvested many different crops, depending on the season, including tomatoes, carrots and corn. The pay rate at the Nellis farm was one dollar per day or a peace work rate which was thirty five cents for every bushel of beans picked. He also plowed those same fields with teams of horses and he recalls the Nellis family purchasing a Ford gas powered tractor which he ran on the farm. That tractor had solid iron wheels with tread spokes to be able to grab the earth as the wheels turned. Later the Nellis family purchased a Ford Ferguson tractor with large treaded rubber wheels. He recalls the carrot crop on the farm being harvested in the fall cleaned and buried under many large piles of earth to protect them from the frost. It was the practice to dig up those covered carrots from time to time and deliver fresh carrots to the market even in the dead of winter.
He often spoke of getting a traffic ticket for driving a Ford Model “T” on Valley Road in Wayne when he was just fifteen years old. Wayne employed just two police officers at the time; Officer Anderson and Officer Taylor. They took exception to his age and that he was driving without a license, earning him his first ticket.
In his youth and beyond he went from job to job trying to make a living. He once worked in Beatties Carpet Mill in Little Falls for fifteen dollars a week. That was for a forty hour week and the rate was thirty six cents per hour. It so happens that he got paid on the second week of work and he expected thirty dollars and instead they gave him $15 and told him that it was their practice to hold back one week of pay. He did not agree with that concept and soon parted ways with that job. He went to work in a machine shop and learned the machine tool trade which brought him to a machinist’s job at Curtis Wright Aeronautical in Paterson.
Everett joined the U.S. Navy on December 8, 1942, just one day after the Pearl Harbor attack. He served as an Aviation Machinist’s Mate Second Class and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal directly from the Secretary of the Navy “For heroism and extraordinary achievement in aerial flight during operations against enemy Japanese forces in the Western Pacific War Area from March 3 to April 1, 1945. Completing his fifth mission during this period Ross contributed materially to the success of his squadron. His gallant devotion to duty was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Services.” Everett eventually completed more than twenty missions.
Everett was gifted with an independent spirit, was very ‘upbeat’ and knew what a hard-work ethic was. He decided to become an entrepreneur. He established Everett Ross Masonry based in Totowa. His hard work and wonderful social personality brought him much success in that field.
He was credited with the construction of many area buildings including Community Fire Company No. 1 on Parish Drive in Wayne. He also built the bell monument that sits out front of that firehouse. Because of his generosity, he donated his services and the Fire Company made him an “Honorary Fire Chief” . He also was the stone mason involved in the construction of the Bethwood Restaurant in Totowa.
Surviving are his wife Emilia Rome of Totowa, one daughter; Elizabeth Ross of Totowa, and one sister Margaret Parker of Pompton Plains. He was predeceased by two sisters; Shirley and Dorothy, and three brothers William, Walter and Bernard.
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