Diana (DeDee) Ross

DeDee went home to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ November 15 2012, after a lengthly battle with cancer. She was surrounded by her loving husband Bob and their children.

DeDee was born April 24, 1945 in Vallejo, Calif. and was put up for adoption along with her twin brother Richard. Their adopting parents Richard and Barbara Benofsky, raised the twins in Lafayette, Calif. DeDee met Bob, her future husband in 1960 and they were married August 10, 1964. They had three daughters and one son in California. They moved to Whidbey Island in 1972. There they raised their four children in Langley and attended the Langley Christian Missionary Alliance church. In 1978 DeDee started working for the preschool at the church, and in 1991 became the director of the school, retiring in 2005. One of her greatest joys was serving the Lord through teaching the children for 29 years.

When her husband retired in 2006, the next 6 1/2 years were spent just enjoying being together, going to town, traveling and being with their children and nine grandchildren. DeDee was preceded in death by both her parents and by her oldest daughter Sondra, Sondra’s husband Phil and her two daughters Elise, 11 and Marissa, 9 who were all killed in their private airplane crash in Oregon in 2003.

Survivors include her loving husband Bob of 48 years, their three children Chrissy O’Keefe, Debbie Hughes (Forrest) and Steve Ross, their grandchildren Leah (Hughes) Parker (Justin), Kramer, Kendra and Gavin O’Keefe, Mitchell, Janae and Jared Hughes and Levi and Tayla Ross.

A memorial service in celebration of DeDee’s life will be held at “The Island Church of Whidbey” (C&MA) 2 p.m. on December 29. Memorial donations can be made in honor of DeDee to the Island Church of Whidbey Preschool at 6th and Cascade, Langley Wa. 98260.