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Joan L. Ross, 84

Joan L. Ross, lifelong Kellogg resident, passed away Friday, June 16, 2017, at her home surrounded by her loving family. She was 84.

Memorial services will be held at 1 p.m. Friday, June 23, 2017, at the Mountain View Congregational Church, followed by a graveside service at Greenwood Cemetery in Kellogg.

Joan was born Jan. 10, 1933, in Kellogg to Etalo and Helen (Sala) Biotti. She joined an older sister, Rachel, at the Biotti family home in Kellogg. Joan attended Kellogg High School and was a twirler in the high school marching band. She graduated with the class of 1951. Joan made many lifelong friends in high school and the girlfriends would often get together throughout their lives.

She married Wayne C. Ross, Sept. 29, 1951, in Kellogg. At the young age of 19, the couple purchased their first gas station on the corner of Cameron and Division streets. They expanded their business by adding the Shell Bulk plant at Deadwood Gulch and became the distributor for Shell Oil. Being a business owner and a mother of two boys kept her busy. She was active in the business until she retired in 1997.

She liked to bowl locally and in tournaments in the area. She was instrumental in the development of Project Uplift in Kellogg and served on its board for many years. She also served on the Greenwood Cemetery board for more than 25 years and as chairman of the American Cancer Society in Shoshone County.

She and Wayne liked to spend time in the hills around the Silver Valley and especially enjoyed their get-away in Calder. They enjoyed time together with friends and family, going for drives, hunting and fishing. They had many friends and were always up for a good time. Joan had a warm smile and she liked to laugh. She could tell stories for hours about the fun they had.

Wayne passed away in 1986 just as his dream of a gondola connecting the ski hill to town was becoming a reality. She participated in many ground-breaking ceremonies at Silver Mountain as the resort developed. Joan really enjoyed her time volunteering at the local schools and reading with the children. She was an avid Gonzaga basketball fan and rarely missed watching a game. She spent her remaining years spending time with friends and family. She will be missed by the community she loved so much and Kellogg will forever be enriched because of her.

Joan is survived by her sons, Larry and his wife Karen, and Rob and his wife Nikki, all of Kellogg; her six grandchildren of whom she was so proud, Vince (Shelley) Ross, Monica (Michael) Desmarais, Amanda Ross, Josh Ross, Kori (Jeff) Siddoway and Tate Cochrane; 10 great-grandchildren and her sister, Rachel Sigars of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

The family suggests memorial gifts be made to the Greenwood Cemetery Foundation or to the Pinehurst Elementary Field Trip Fund.

Online guest book is at www.bruningfuneralhome.com.