David Ross Obituary

David S. Ross, M. D. of Concord NH, formerly of Hopkinton NH, died on September 8, 2023 at the Granite VNA Hospice House from complications of Parkinson's. It is with astonishment that family and friends say goodbye to an athletic phenom who cycled thousands of miles per year and summited endless peaks until the very end of his life. He seemed far too intellectual, driven, and active to be sidelined, but he accepted the fate of his neurodegenerative disease with courage and humility. The past 20 years of David's life were devoted to his passions of cycling, hiking, traveling, and geocaching. He was active for many years with Granite State Wheelers, the Appalachian Mountain Club, the Monadnock-Sunapee Greenway Trail, Five Rivers Conservation Trust, Sharing Yoga, and more recently as a Parkinson's Fighter with Rock Steady Boxing Lakes Region. He bagged all of New Hampshire's 4,000-footers in summer and winter and repeated them in both seasons after age 70. Always goal-oriented--complete with lists--David's accomplishments included summiting peaks across the Northeast, cycling a minimum of 50 miles in nearly every U. S. state, and traveling around the world. His most recent big adventure was biking through Mallorca with friends in March. His style of goal setting stemmed from youth when he started a lifetime bird sighting list. He was also an enthusiast of music, literature, gardening, cooking, baking, and perhaps most emphatically, coffee and ice cream. Prior to full-time athletic pursuits, David was a physician with Concord Pediatrics from 1974 to his retirement in 2003. He was committed to primary care medicine and felt strongly that healthcare should prioritize patients, full stop. His vision was shaped significantly by his post-medical school training in the Bronx NY, Boston MA, and Oklahoma City OK, and his work with the Navajo Nation in AZ in the late 1960s and early 1970s. David's medical passions were diagnostics and problem-solving, and after retirement he remained engaged in work he loved with a teen clinic in Manchester NH. He enjoyed running into former patients and their families, often when visiting his beloved Concord coffee shops, The Brothers Cortado and The Bean and Bakery, and for ice cream at Beech Hill Farm in Hopkinton. The "Doc Ross side smile" will remain with all of us who experienced his unique brand of toughness paired with encouragement and mentoring in parenting, doctoring, cycling, hiking, community work, and more. David was born on February 22, 1943 in Boston MA and raised in Cambridge MA with summers spent on Gregg Lake in Antrim NH and at Camp Menatoma in Kents Hill ME. He attended Shady Hill School (1958), Belmont Hill School (1961), Harvard College (1965), and University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine (1969). He was predeceased by his parents, Ralph A. and Alice R. Ross; wife of 33 years Elaine Ewing Ross; and many beloved pets. He leaves grandson Noah Ross Nulty of Houston TX, daughter Hannah Ross Nulty (Chad) of Houston TX, daughter Leah Ewing Ross (Pierpaolo Polzonetti) of Davis CA, partner Anne Gwynne of Concord NH, sister Alice R. Coda (Arnold) of Hopkinton NH, brother Frederic D. Ross (Cynthia) of Amity OR, two generations of nieces and nephews, several cousins, and many friends. David's family expresses deep appreciation for the individuals who helped us navigate his sudden and rapid decline in the last week of his life, including Jeanne Bailey, Michelle Currier, Rachel Delaney, Maura McCann, Leslie Melby, and the incredible staff and volunteers of the Granite VNA Hospice Program and Hospice House. Thank you also to the amazing group of friends and family who visited David at the Hospice House and sent messages for us to read and play for him, including Fred the Dog who provided much-needed warm fuzzies. David died surrounded by love and light. A casual, festive celebration of David's life will be held Saturday, September 16 at 3:00 p. m. on the Kimball Jenkins Estate, 266 N. Main Street, Concord. The family invites people to remember David with contributions to the Granite VNA Hospice House www. granitevna. org, the Capital Region Food Program www. capitalregionfoodprogram. org, or the Davis Phinney Foundation for Parkinson's davisphinneyfoundation. org.