Eugene Dale Ross Jr. passed away while encircled by his family on Easter morning April 9, 2023. He died of complications from diabetes.

Dale was born on August 28, 1946, in Lynwood, California. He was the second child of Glenavere Hunting and Eugene Dale Ross. He was raised in Ontario, California with his older sister, Jenie, and two younger brothers, Jim and Lynn. While growing up in California, Dale learned his two athletic life loves, swimming and baseball. He swam the backstroke on his high school swim team and was a lifelong Dodgers fan. In his youth he regularly visited family in Vernal, Utah where he learned to also love the outdoors.

Dale attended his freshman year at Chaffey College before leaving to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the North German mission. When he returned, Dale moved to Provo, Utah to attend BYU. While there, he met Ann Marie Johnson in a square dancing class. They were married in the Idaho Falls Temple on July 22, 1972, beginning a lifelong bond. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with their family in Grand Teton National Park this past summer.

After Dale graduated from BYU with a degree in physical education, he and Ann Marie made their home in Kalispell, Montana, where daughters Alyson and Hilary were born. They then moved to Logan, Utah, for a short time while Dale earned his Masters Degree from Utah State University. The next move was to Rawlins, Wyoming, where they settled and lived for the next 38 years. A son, Brandon, and two more daughters, Lindsey and Ashley, were born there.

Until his retirement, Dale worked as the aquatics director for Rawlins High School and taught and coached swimming. During his career, he received many awards and recognitions including being honored as the Wyoming Boys’ Swim Coach of the Year multiple times and as the 1997 National Swimming Federation Coach of the Year. He also served on the National Federation of State High School Associations’ Swimming and Diving Rules Committee for many years, and he was inducted into the Wyoming Coaches Hall of Fame in 2003. Most importantly, he is remembered fondly by the students and athletes he worked with over the years, some of whom have followed in his footsteps to coach the next generation of swimmers.

Despite a busy work and coaching schedule, Dale found time to serve in many capacities in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including as the bishop of his Rawlins ward.

For the past 10 years, Dale and Ann Marie have made their home in Payson, Utah, where they moved after retirement to be closer to their children and grandchildren. In 2015 they served a senior mission for their church in New Jersey. They loved the wonderful people they met and learned that New Jersey truly is the Garden State.

Dale’s interests included fly fishing, backpacking, camping, reading, watching BYU sports, attending concerts with Ann Marie, and spending time with his family. He especially loved spending time with his grandchildren, who were the light of his life. He made every effort to attend his grandchildren’s various activities and events.

Dale was preceded in death by his parents and his brother Lynn. He is survived by his wife, Ann Marie; children Alyson Farmer (Brad), Hilary Roberts (Lee), Brandon Ross (Michelle), Lindsey Ross, and Ashley Walton (Derek); and 16 grandchildren who he loved to sneak to Farr’s ice cream against their parents’ wishes.

A funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 15, 2023, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 952 West 1580 South, Payson, Utah. Visitation will be from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the church. Interment will be at the Payson City Cemetery, 400 North 800 East, Payson, Utah.

The funeral service will be streamed live. Please return to Dale's memorial page shortly before 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 15, 2023, and click on the link below.

Eugene Dale Ross, Jr. Funeral Service