Sy Ross

It's with the deepest sadness that we announce the death of Sy (Seymour) Ross at the age of 84 on March 23, after a short illness.

With Sy's departure the world has lost some warmth, kindness, fun and humour. He was a soft-hearted person who avoided saying harsh words about others. He constantly professed his love for his wife of 30 years, Helen Thomas, and for his children and his grandchildren.

He had close friends all over the world, including many in Ajijic, Mexico, where he spent most winters after his retirement. If you visited Sy, you would be told in advance what special meal he was planning for you and would get a note later telling you how wonderful it was to see you. Whenever Sy met a baby, he would look into the baby's eyes and tell the parents with great sincerity that he or she "had an intelligent look."

Sy was born on Dec. 6, 1940 in Montreal and grew up on Mount Pleasant Road in Toronto above his father's small clothing shop. He earned a doctorate in chemical engineering and was instrumental in developing Canada's oil spill response system in the late 1970s, going on to found his own company in Ottawa, SL Ross Environmental Research, which remains a global leader in marine oil spill cleanup. He was a world-renowned expert in protecting the Arctic from spills and his work helped Arctic countries, Canada and others, do the same.

But Sy rarely talked about work and never about his own accomplishments, always saying that school hadn't come naturally to him, even while praising the talents of everyone around him. He loved music, art, playing and watching hockey and tennis (always letting you know if a top athlete happened to be Canadian and/or Jewish and/or left-handed, three of his niche interests). He was up for any kind of party or get-together and his comedic timing was impeccable. After his retirement, it brought him great joy to travel the world with Helen. As family was extremely important to Sy, especially after the passing of his two treasured siblings, Larry and Roz, he and Helen went to great lengths to visit all their nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews, no matter how much the family moved around.

Sy loved watching his children and grandchildren work hard at their own studies and careers, and they have no doubt they owe much of their happiness to his high expectations, eternal confidence in them, and constant praise. An incredibly dedicated Zaida, he followed closely what kind of interests his grandchildren were developing, whether they were 18 years or 18 months old. He leaves his beloved Helen, son Zev (Mya), daughters Leah (Klaus), Rochelle and Selena (Nick), stepson Crispin (Raffaella), grandchildren Niko, Mateo, Anya, Billie, Aylin, Julius and Kim, his dear cousin Bernie, and countless other family members and friends who adored him.