Dorothy Jean (Kimbrough) Ross

Dorothy Jean (Kimbrough) Ross, age 98 of Shelby, NC, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, November 5, 2024. Jean Ross carried a strong belief in her God, loved life passionately, and lived her life caring for her family. 

Jean is preceded in death by her husband of 69 years, William Kenneth Ross, and is survived by her two sons, William Douglas Ross of Shelby, NC and David Anthony Ross of Belmont, NC, three grandchildren, David Crawford of Wilmington, NC, Kathryn Ross of Minnesota and William Austin Ross of Cullowhee, NC, a great grandson, Thomas Crawford, along with numerous nieces and nephews.

Jean was born at home on May 18, 1926 in White Pine, Tennessee in Jefferson County. Jean was the daughter of Luther Thomas Kimbrough and Bertha Isabel Webster. Luther and Bertha married after previous marriages that resulted in two children for Bertha, Junior and Thelma and 5 children from Luther’s first marriage, Laurence, Dan, Alma, Ethel, and Joe. Jean had one full-brother, Bill Kimbrough.

As a child, Jean loved playing outside. She enjoyed climbing trees with her brother Bill, playing baseball with the neighborhood kids, playing hide and seek, marbles, and dominoes. When she got older, she would travel to Morristown to the movies and enjoyed Gene Autry and Roy Rogers movies.

The house she grew up in had 5 rooms, with no electricity, running water, or a telephone. By the time she was a teenager, the house did have electricity and a telephone but never indoor plumbing. She had many chores as a child including carrying coal in the winter for the heater and wood for the cook stove. She also had to carry water and keep wash pots filled on wash day and was tasked with keeping the drinking water buckets filled.

Jean enjoyed school and always enjoyed attending. Her favorite subject was English and she liked science the least. She attended the same school until the 10th grade when she went to South Carolina to live with a cousin whose husband went to work in the Charleston shipyard. Her cousin wasn’t comfortable living alone and had asked Jean’s mother to let her stay with her. She was really homesick that year and returned home to finish her schooling. Later she attended and graduated from the National Business College in Knoxville, TN.

Jean was visiting a cousin, Audrey Wilkerson in Greer, SC. Audrey knew a gentleman by the name of Ken Ross. Audrey introduced them and they continued to correspond. Dating was difficult since Jean lived in Tennessee and Ken lived in South Carolina. Whenever they could, they took trips to the Smokies or the movies. They grew closer and fell in love.

Ken was drafted in October of 1950 and reported to Camp Polk. He was alerted to go overseas. He wanted to make sure Jean would be there when he got back and proposed to her in a letter. Jean accepted and on a 5-day pass, they married on January 18, 1951 in Knoxville. He was sent to Korea where he saw combat with the 45th Infantry and later finished his tour with the 62nd Construction Engineers. Their marriage continued for 69 years. 

Jean’s joy in life revolved around her family. She so enjoyed the years raising her two sons, Doug and David. She was involved in everything during their school years. She was a very vocal follower of all their sports teams through the years! She kept an immaculate house and provided amazing home cooked meals every single day. 

Later in life when her sons were grown, she provided the same love and care for her grandchildren that she had for her sons. David, Kathryn, and Austin each will tell you of the treasured memories they have of the “magical place” located at 507 Poplar Springs Church Road.

Jean was a wonderful wife, mother, and grandmother. She provided never ending love and care for her whole family. It was her life and was what gave her purpose.

Funeral services will be conducted by Reverend Aaron Hinton at Poplar Springs Baptist Church, 1106 Poplar Springs Church Road in Shelby, NC on Saturday, November 9th. Visitation will take place at The Family Life Center beginning at 11:00 AM and go to 12:45PM. A service will follow in the sanctuary at 1:00PM.

Memorial contributions can be made to the Poplar Springs Baptist Church Building Fund.

Cleveland Funeral Services is managing the funeral service. An online guest book is available at www.clevelandfuneralservices.com