First Kerry David Ross

A life that touched so many hearts will be forever remembered.

Obituary

The Life of Kerry David Ross

Kerry David Ross was born on March 13, 1954, in Dayton, Ohio, to Kay and Audrey Ross. He grew up in Bellbrook, Ohio, with his sister, Valerie Ross Tate, and his brother, Andrew Glenn Ross.

Kerry's childhood was filled with the pleasures of growing up in rural Ohio. He ice-skated, swam on a swim team, played in the creeks, and sledded down the hill in his parents' backyard. He attended Bellbrook High School, graduating in 1972. While there, he played football, starred in his senior play, and was a member of the French Club.

Kerry's parents expected him to work hard, earn good grades, and contribute around the house. Some of those responsibilities were more adventurous than most teenagers might have expected—including digging up a leaking gas line. Kerry learned early to work hard, take responsibility, and figure things out.

During his teenage years, Kerry discovered one of the great loves of his life: music. A guitar that had been largely forgotten in the household caught his attention, and Kerry taught himself to play. He then taught his brother, Andy. Music became a lifelong passion and an important part of the brothers' relationship. During college, Kerry and Andy even had a brief stint singing together in a restaurant.

Kerry attended Wright State University and graduated in 1976. His work ethic began early. At fifteen, he was putting in fence posts, and throughout college he worked restaurant jobs and at a local gas station.
In 1976, before pursuing the graduate school he had originally planned, Kerry moved to California with his parents and brother, settling in Rancho Bernardo. After a short job with Sony, he applied to become a bank teller at Escondido National Bank. That decision began a banking career that would span his entire working life.

Kerry steadily advanced from teller to Vice President and Manager. He managed several branches of Mitsubishi Bank and, following mergers, Union Bank. He was highly regarded by colleagues and management for his dedication, professionalism, and success with clients. In the final years of his career, he managed the Carlsbad office of California Bank & Trust.
Kerry was particularly proud of the relationships he built throughout his career. He had a remarkable ability not only to bring in new business clients, but to earn their trust and keep those relationships for many years. People trusted Kerry because he genuinely cared about them.

It was in California that Kerry met Tanya Slivkoff at a choir party. Tanya was working as a secretary at Rancho Bernardo Community Church at the time. They began dating, and six months later Kerry proposed. Nine months after that, on August 5, 1978, Kerry and Tanya were married.

They made their home in San Marcos, where their daughter, Ashley, was born in March 1984 and their son, Jordan, in December 1987. In 2001, the family moved to Escondido and into their dream home, where Kerry would spend his final years.
Family was at the center of Kerry's life. He was deeply devoted to his parents, his siblings, his wife, and his children.

After his father died in 2007 at the age of 81, Kerry became a constant source of support for his mother. She called him her “rock,” and he lived up to that description. He called her every day, visited at least once a week, brought her groceries, took care of things around her home that she could no longer manage, and was always willing to pick up whatever fast food she happened to be craving. More than simply helping with her needs, Kerry made sure his mother did not feel alone.

Kerry and his brother Andy shared a particularly close bond throughout their lives. They spoke frequently by phone and, for many years, visited each other several times a year. When they were together, they played guitar, teased each other, and reminisced about growing up in Ohio. When they were apart, they kept in touch almost daily by sending each other large batches of funny memes.

Music remained one of Kerry's great loves. He played the music he had grown up with, particularly songs from the 1960s and 1970s, and he especially loved Creedence Clearwater Revival and John Fogerty. He also enjoyed playing contemporary Christian music. Over the years, he owned several guitars, including Ovation guitars and a Gibson Jumbo, and he played regularly at home, usually singing as he played.

Kerry never cared much about performing or being in the spotlight. For him, playing guitar was personal. When he sat down with his guitar, he was relaxed and happy. It was pure joy.

Kerry also had a wonderful sense of humor. He loved to laugh and loved making other people laugh. He had a particular ability to find humor even in unpleasant situations. Once, after waiting too long to renew his driver's license, Kerry found himself standing in a long line at the DMV on a cold, pouring-rain day when he wasn't feeling well. By the time he completed the process, he was cold, wet, and miserable. Then he saw his new driver's license photograph. It was, in Kerry's opinion, the worst picture of him ever taken. He said he looked like “Jabba the Hutt.” The terrible photograph became a shared joke between Kerry and Tanya, giving him another reason to laugh whenever he had to pull his license out of his wallet.

Kerry was known for his kindness and generosity, often expressed in quiet, practical ways. One example was his longtime friendship with Armando, a green card holder, who came into Kerry and Tanya's lives more than twenty years ago. Kerry helped him with family travel and medical expenses, paid him above minimum wage, and regularly sent him home with extra food or clothing. Over the years, their working relationship became a friendship. That reflected the kind of relationships Kerry built—with generosity, loyalty, and genuine care for others.

Whether helping his mother, supporting a longtime friend like Armando, serving people through his church, or simply making sure someone had what they needed, Kerry believed that when someone needed help, you helped if you could. He did these things without seeking recognition or expecting anything in return.
Kerry's faith in Jesus Christ was at the center of his life. He read his Bible every day and looked forward to going to church each week. Prayer was one of the ways he cared for the people he loved. He regularly prayed for Tanya, his children, and many others in his life.

Kerry took his relationship with the Lord seriously. He sometimes worried that he wasn't doing enough to be worthy, while also understanding the grace at the heart of his faith—that the debt had already been paid.

Despite his own health struggles, Kerry served at Emmanuel Faith Community Church by helping with communion, visiting people who were sick or in the hospital, and teaching guitar to underserved children in Escondido.
Kerry was deeply humble. He did not seek recognition for the things he did for others and rarely thought of his kindness or service as anything extraordinary. He simply believed that when someone needed help, you helped if you could.

Kerry retired in 2017, but he didn't simply settle into doing nothing. He became a Notary Public and launched a small mobile notary business, something he found genuinely fulfilling. He enjoyed meeting people, helping them, and having a reason to stay active. He also had a very specific plan for his notary earnings: they became the “going-out-to-dinner fund.”

Retirement gave Kerry more time for the simple pleasures he enjoyed. He loved shopping—even grocery shopping—reading, working on projects around the house, and spending time at home. He enjoyed helping Tanya with her writing, including developing the plot for her first novel during a wedding anniversary trip to Disneyland. He and Tanya enjoyed being at home together, working on projects and spending time in the pool.

Throughout his life, Kerry was remarkably optimistic about his own future. Even when the people who loved him were worried, Kerry was often the one to reassure them. His familiar response was, “Don't worry. I'm fine. I'll be fine.”

Kerry passed away at home on August 15, 2026, following a courageous final effort to overcome what he was facing.

Kerry David Ross will be remembered for his faith in Jesus Christ, his devotion to his family, his love of music, his kindness, his humility, and his wonderful sense of humor.

He was deeply loved, and he will be deeply missed.

In honor of Kerry, the family asks that donations be made to Emmanuel Faith Community Church in support of its Missions outreach.

Services are at 1:00 p.m. at Emmanuel Faith Community Church Chapel, 639 E 17th Ave, Escondido, CA 92025, on Friday, August 28th. 

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