June 23, 1933 - May 9, 2024
Bradenton, Florida - Gwen passed away at home surrounded by family and friends May 9, 2024; Gwen was turning 91 in June of this year. A remarkable lady who accomplished so much during her lifetime in a predominantly "man's world". Born in 1933 in a small town in GA, graduated from Stone Mountain High School state champion basketball player and played center. Her high school team traveled that year with the Globe Trotters to play the opening game.
She moved to Irving, Texas, ran her own secretarial firm in the 1950's in a Highrise with the Hunt Family Oil Corp offices and played gin on her lunch breaks with L. Hunt, which grew into a profitable endeavor for Gwen. Gin games were growing to 2k per game. Her firm assisted with the merger of Henry Frito and Mr. Lay in 1961.
She met her husband, George H Ross, in the same building and was married for 62 years until George passed in August of 2015. Together they bought their first house in Irving, TX, and then moved to Phoenix, AZ, and watched the 1963 Kennedy assassination coverage on TV and learned their first house in Irving, TX, is where the FBI and local law enforcement officials raided; now called the Ruth Paine's house Museum where alleged JFK assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, spent the night before shots rang out at Dallas' Dealey Plaza claiming the life of President Kennedy.
Gwen later became a duplicate contract bridge player and caught the famous Oswald Jacobe, contract bridge player and author, cheating and had him barred. Her passion for cards grew to tournament poker and played and placed in both WSOP and WPT events. Gwen and her daughter, DeDe, would play the ladies Pokers tournaments events from the 1980's and were often written up in Las Vegas Magazines and Bradenton Hearld as Mother/Daughter Team Are Poker Playing Pals.
Gwen was a legal secretary in Bradenton FL and later ran her own real estate company, Gwen Ross Mobile Home Sales. Gwen was also featured in Bradenton Herald for her incredible edible cooking in 1981, 1982, and 1992.
Gwen is survived by her daughter, Hedi Ross who resides in Tampa FL; niece, Jean Rollins, of Buckhead GA; nephew, Patrick Reaves of Portland Oregon; nephew, Josh Reaves of Atlanta, GA and several more nieces and nephews in Calhoun GA.
DeDe is putting together a cookbook in honor of her mother to give to friends and family.
Gwen did not want a ceremony – she wanted everyone to remember her when she was alive. Brown & Sons Funeral Homes & Crematory 26th Street Chapel, 5624 26th Street West, Bradenton, FL 34207, is in charge of arrangements.
