Ross Stacey

Ross passed away suddenly at home on Saturday, March 22nd 2025.

He was born in Carberry, Manitoba, to Ronald and Muriel Stacey. He spent his first four years there until his family moved to Salt Spring Island where Ron took a teaching position. The family lived across the road from St. Mary Lake on a small farm.

As a kid, Ross had a twinkle in his eye and often looked for ways to engage his siblings in practical jokes. Ross always loved construction and spent many hours outside constructing roadways on a clay bank behind the St Mary Lake home. Here he cultivated his life-long passion for building and engineering as he built up the property alongside his dad. Ross was well-known on the island for his dare devil spirit and his many shenanigans, most of which were quite ingenious. (His tree-fort elevator had the potential to make Ross's life story a short one.) At age 16, he moved to his dad's acreage on Quebec Drive. The shenanigans continued - as did the construction projects - while he also developed a love of cooking and VW Bugs. (There were many Bugs and most met dramatic ends.)

Ross met Cathy at 17. In September 1978, and after graduating high school with a combined $1000 to their names and a Toyota Corolla, they set off for Edmonton to take advantage of the oil boom.

On his first day in Edmonton, Ross was hired by a small chemical company as a labourer. He would spend the next 29 years with the same company working his way up to Western Operations Manager. During his years there, he attained his Third Class Steam Engineering Ticket, a Red Seal Millwright Certificate, and a Mechanical Engineering Technologist Diploma.

Ross and Cathy married in July 1980 and had three beautiful daughters over the next nine years. Ross brought his imagination and curiosity to parenting his girls, whether through building elaborate snow forts, conducting dodgy science fair projects, or finding creative ways to guide his children's behaviour (like inventing 'Charlie the crawlspace critter'). Ross spent many wonderful summers coaching kids' sports teams, camping with his family and criss-crossing the Rocky Mountains on memorable road trips from Edmonton to the west coast and back again.

In 2007, Ross and Cathy decided it was time to go back to the coast, where they settled in Victoria. They rekindled many childhood friendships and enjoyed being close to their family. Ross started a handyman business. He was loved by his clients and his college employees as he took on bigger and bigger projects. In the summers he would often go snorkelling with his daughter and would regularly bring home fresh rock crab that he caught with his bare hands and his retrofitted boogie-board containment tank.

Ross and Cathy welcomed their first grandchild in 2013 and their second in 2016. His grandkids fueled his child-like curiosity and love of Lego construction. Ross loved sharing random historical stories and peppering his grandkids with fun facts from the news.

On his birthday weekend in 2015, Ross sustained a traumatic brain injury, which changed him and the life he knew. He was no longer able to work or drive and his daily life shrunk down, though he continued to find pleasure in cooking, taking care of his dogs, listening to his favourite music and teasing his loved ones.

After Cathy retired in 2024, Ross and Cathy moved back to the prairies, this time to Saskatoon to be close to their second daughter. Ross was much happier and enjoyed checking out Saskatoon and keeping up with the menagerie of animals at his daughter's place. He became a Kansas City Chiefs fan and enjoyed watching the games with his daughter, son-in-law and new friends.

Ross was one of the good ones, a loving husband, the OG girl-dad, the best Pop Pop, and a loyal friend. We know he had a profound impact on the lives of those who were lucky to know him. He is leaving big Crocs to fill and will be forever missed.

The family is planning to take Ross back to some of his favourite places on the west coast in late August. More details to come.

Ross leaves behind his wife of almost 45 years, Cathy; daughters Jocelyn (Matthew), Michelle (Curtis), and Christine (Carter); his beloved grandchildren, Harriet and Frederick; his sister, Linda (Jim); brothers Alan (Gina) and Brian; many nieces and nephews; and his two best buds, the beagle boys, Luke and Dudley. He was predeceased by his father, Ron (Kathleen); his mother, Muriel (Al); his in-laws, Ron and Norah McQuiggan; and his best friend, Dickens, who we know was waiting for him at the rainbow bridge.

Donations in Ross's memory can be made to the BC Brain Injury Association.