CLARKSBURG, W. Va. -- W. Ross Clark, II, 35, passed away on Dec. 19, 2009 at his family's home on Sun Valley Road, Clarksburg, W. Va. Born March 17, 1974 in Hamilton, N.Y., Ross grew up in the Eaton and Oneida, N.Y. communities.
Ross was a 1992 graduate of Oneida High School and studied voice, composition, guitar, and music industry at the Greatbatch School of Music at Houghton College and at the College of Visual and Performing Arts at Syracuse University. His songwriting and performance career took him to Nashville, Tenn.; on USO tours throughout Europe; and back to the United States, where he continued to perform, compose, arrange, and record until his death. Diagnosed with juvenile (type I) diabetes before the age of four, he fought a courageous battle with the disease and its many complications throughout his life, experiencing a kidney transplant and a pancreas transplant. His life ended as a result of end-stage diabetes, end-stage renal and multiple organ failure.
Ross hoped that through his songs and lyrics his great passion for life and music would live on in his many treasured friends and their families. His greatest desire was that his family, especially the young nieces and nephews and young cousins he so loved, and who were a great source of affection and fun in the last years of his life, would find comfort in the recordings of his voice in song. He hoped they would all be encouraged by his lyrics to follow their passions with determination and joy, and he believed that the young ones yet-to-be would know him by his spirit and by the new songs he was certain that he would sing into their lives.
Ross is deeply missed and lovingly remembered by his mother, Kathleen and his step-father, Ronald Millson; his sister, JoAnna Sero, his brother-in-law, Joel and their daughter, Annabelle; his sister, Jerri Wagner, his brother-in-law, Mark and their daughter, Zoe; his step-sister, Heather Eastman and her children, Connor and Claire; his step-brother, Heath Millson, his wife, Brenda and their children, Zachary and Breanne; his grandparents, Captain Frank Grower and Mrs. Joanne Grower; his grandparents, Pastor Tom Clark Sr. and Mrs. Mary Clark; his father, Tom Clark Jr.; as well as his great aunts and uncles, his aunts and uncles, and cousins.
An evening of music and memories to honor W. Ross Clark, II, will be scheduled for March 20. To honor the passing and celebrate the life of local musician, W. Ross Clark, II, family and friends are invited to gather on the first evening of spring, Saturday, March 20 from 5-7 p.m., at the Lakeview Restaurant in Sherrill-Kenwood, New York. A photographical and musical remembrance of his life will take place at that time, as well as performances of his own music and of some of the music that inspired his life and his work. A buffet and informal gathering hosted by his family will follow. Donations may be made in Ross's honor to the American Diabetes Association to support the search for the cure for juvenile (type 1) diabetes and its many complications. An annual scholarship is being established in Ross's name for Oneida High School students who excel in Musical Composition and Performance. If you would like to make a donation to the music scholarship fund, please contact Jeffrey Welcher, Oneida High School, Oneida, New York 13421, or Kathleen Millson, 573 Rt. 6, Clarksburg, West Virginia 2630
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Obituary:
CLARKSBURG, W. Va. -- W. Ross Clark, II, 35, passed away on Dec. 19, 2009 at his family's home on Sun Valley Road, Clarksburg, W. Va. Born March 17, 1974 in Hamilton, N.Y., Ross grew up in the Eaton and Oneida, N.Y. communities.
Ross was a 1992 graduate of Oneida High School and studied voice, composition, guitar, and music industry at the Greatbatch School of Music at Houghton College and at the College of Visual and Performing Arts at Syracuse University. His songwriting and performance career took him to Nashville, Tenn.; on USO tours throughout Europe; and back to the United States, where he continued to perform, compose, arrange, and record until his death. Diagnosed with juvenile (type I) diabetes before the age of four, he fought a courageous battle with the disease and its many complications throughout his life, experiencing a kidney transplant and a pancreas transplant. His life ended as a result of end-stage diabetes, end-stage renal and multiple organ failure.
Ross hoped that through his songs and lyrics his great passion for life and music would live on in his many treasured friends and their families. His greatest desire was that his family, especially the young nieces and nephews and young cousins he so loved, and who were a great source of affection and fun in the last years of his life, would find comfort in the recordings of his voice in song. He hoped they would all be encouraged by his lyrics to follow their passions with determination and joy, and he believed that the young ones yet-to-be would know him by his spirit and by the new songs he was certain that he would sing into their lives.
Ross is deeply missed and lovingly remembered by his mother, Kathleen and his step-father, Ronald Millson; his sister, JoAnna Sero, his brother-in-law, Joel and their daughter, Annabelle; his sister, Jerri Wagner, his brother-in-law, Mark and their daughter, Zoe; his step-sister, Heather Eastman and her children, Connor and Claire; his step-brother, Heath Millson, his wife, Brenda and their children, Zachary and Breanne; his grandparents, Captain Frank Grower and Mrs. Joanne Grower; his grandparents, Pastor Tom Clark Sr. and Mrs. Mary Clark; his father, Tom Clark Jr.; as well as his great aunts and uncles, his aunts and uncles, and cousins.
An evening of music and memories to honor W. Ross Clark, II, will be scheduled for March 20. To honor the passing and celebrate the life of local musician, W. Ross Clark, II, family and friends are invited to gather on the first evening of spring, Saturday, March 20 from 5-7 p.m., at the Lakeview Restaurant in Sherrill-Kenwood, New York. A photographical and musical remembrance of his life will take place at that time, as well as performances of his own music and of some of the music that inspired his life and his work. A buffet and informal gathering hosted by his family will follow. Donations may be made in Ross's honor to the American Diabetes Association to support the search for the cure for juvenile (type 1) diabetes and its many complications. An annual scholarship is being established in Ross's name for Oneida High School students who excel in Musical Composition and Performance. If you would like to make a donation to the music scholarship fund, please contact Jeffrey Welcher, Oneida High School, Oneida, New York 13421, or Kathleen Millson, 573 Rt. 6, Clarksburg, West Virginia 2630