Russell R. Ross

Former Nashua native Russell R. Ross died from the complications of Parkinson’s disease and abdominal issues at Virginia Hospital Center, on January 13, 2025. He was the son of the late Louis A. Ross and Marcella J. (Levesque) Ross. He grew up in the Crown Hill section of the city and was educated in local parochial schools. He was a graduate of Nashua High, class of 1954. In the course of his career he earned degrees from the University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH; Ohio University, Athens, OH and the Catholic University of America, Washington, DC. During the Cold War era, he served as a US Army officer and was a veteran of the war in Vietnam. Subsequently, he was employed as a research analyst at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC. Later, he was an intelligence specialist dealing with terrorism issues at the US Department of State from which he retired in 2003. In retirement he volunteered at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian Institution, all in Washington, DC. He had a lifelong interest in world history and international travel. He was a communicant of St James Catholic Church, Falls Church, Virginia.

He is survived by his wife of a half century, Avelina P. Ross of Chuquicamata, Chile; his son Russell M. Ross of Falls Church, Virginia; a sister in religious life, Sister Pauline H. Ross of Columbus, OH; and a sister-in-law Hilka Pedreschi Cook of West Palm Beach, FL.

A memorial mass will be held at St James Church, Falls Church, Virginia. Interment will be in the Veterans’ Cemetery, Quantico, VA.