I have actually thought about Dan and his parents several times over the years; just the other night as a matter of fact.
I remember my mom breaking the news of his death to me and my brother right as we were starting spring break(?) our freshman year. I have fond memories of Dan and many '89 grads playing together at recess at Spicewood Elementary. I also played Town & Country baseball with Dan and he was a good athlete, a great sport, and always friendly. I'm a big NRA and pro-gun advocate and because of Dan's death, "gun safety" is always at the forefront of my mind when I go shooting. What a tragic accident.
Sad there are so many of our classmates who won't see this reunion ... it is important we remember them. We'll have to raise a toast in their memory.
This is a response from Dan's Dad. I truly appreciate Steve Knight remembering Dan and Robert Harris posting his memories. Dan's Mother, his older sister, and I have been dealing with Dan's death for 23 years. For his former classmates to take the time to share their memories eases the pain in our hearts. If other former classmates have memories of Dan, I encourage you to please share them. Dan's Mother, sister, and I will cherish them.
Thanks Bob. I spoke to Dan's father recently about posting information about Dan. They miss him very much. I remember Dan most from our Spicewood days - riding my bike to his house on Plumewood. I remember that we spent a lot of time drawing (he was a very accomplished artist - even in the third grade!). Dan will be missed.
Dan and I were friends at Spicewood Elem., up until my parents divorced and I had to move elsewhere.
I remember spending the night over at his house when we were in the third grade. He had this massive hill behind his house in an undeveloped area and we would ride our bikes at top speed down the hill making jumps. Good times! He was a good friend.
I still remember...like others hearing the sad news about Dan. Dan and I were in the same Boy Scout troup and Mr. Ross was our Scout Master. Dan and I attended lots and lots of campouts and scouting events together. Mr. Ross was a very large influence in my life. Dan will always be remembered. God Bless!
These comments are from Dan Ross's Dad. First let me say I can't thank Dan's classmates enough for remembering Dan after all these years.
Young Dan, his mother, and I lived in Winchester, England from Jan 1984 to June 1985 while I was working on an international assignment for IBM. While living in England we had the opportunity to travel to Belgium, France, Switzerland, Germany, Egypt, and all over England and Scotland. I will attempt to dig through some old boxes of photos and post some photos of Dan from this time period. Young Dan and I got to go skiing in Switzerland while living in England. He took to skiing right away, but I struggled to stay upright. On our last day of skiing, I asked Dan if he wanted to ski with me and he said “I don’t think so Dad. I have been watching you and you are too slow”. Dan celebrated his 14th Birthday in Venice, Italy while he, I, and his mother were on a vacation. The travel company had a birthday cake made for him and everyone on the bus sang Happy Birthday…he was so embarrassed. His mother and I have many fond memories of living in England and the many opportunities we had to travel.
If you don’t want the sad part, stop reading now. Dan died on Sunday, March 23, 1986 as result of a shooting accident. Dan, Dan’s brother-in-law and I were target shooting on a friend’s ranch north of Hwy 183 and Hwy 29. To this day I am not sure what happened. My best guess is that Dan dropped his weapon and while attempting to catch it, it hit the ground and discharged. The bullet entered through is arm pit and then severed one of the major arteries leading to his heart. I attempted to do CPR while my son-in-law drove us to Cedar Park where Star Flight was called in to transport Dan to Breckinridge Hospital. After the Star Flight helicopter lifted off, someone drove me and my son-in-law to the hospital. By the time we got to the hospital, young Dan had been pronounced dead. I had run the Capitol 10K that morning, and I can’t tell you how many times I wished I had fallen running the Capitol 10K that day and broken my leg so that we would have not gone target shooting on that fateful day. It is a parent’s worst nightmare to lose a child. It has taken almost a box of Kleenex for me to write about Dan’s death. The tears really flow when I recall that day. His death has come closer to killing me than the time I spent in Viet Nam as a Marine combat officer. For those of you that are parents don’t let a day go by without giving your children a hug.
In closing, let me say again thanks for remembering Dan.
This is Dan's Dad again. I just uploaded some photos of young Dan from the time we lived in England. If you scroll to the guest section of the Classmate Profiles you can find my guest profile where I posted the photos.
I definitely remember Dan and good times together at Spicewood. Dan's accident all came back to me after reading Dan's father's account. There are no words to express my sympathy and heartfelt empathy. Thank you, Mr. Ross for sharing your pictures and stories. Being a mom of 3 boys that will most certainly hunt the rest of their lives, Dan's story is one that I will share with my family as a reminder that we can never be too careful. Mr. and Mrs. Ross, May God's hands hold you and keep you until you and your son are reunited.
I'm not sure if anyone knew it, but Dan and I were good friends in 9th grade. (We were also good friends in 6th grade before he moved to England). When I read about is death over spring break of our 9th grade year I was deeply hurt. It was the first time I had ever felt a deep loss for someone I cared about. He and I would hang out everyday at lunch, and just walk around the school grounds and talk. Dan was hilarious. That guy made me laugh so hard. He was one of the very few kids at Westwood that I felt a strong connection with. We both shared a cynical/comical view of the world. I think of that kid from time to time, and wonder what he would have grown up to be. He was a smart kid, one of the smartest. He spent the night a few times at my house in Millwood. We'd go out and explore the undeveloped woods around the neighborhood. I remember going to his funeral. A ton of people attended. I really hated everything when he died. He was my favorite friend. The week following his death was extremely difficult for me. I would openly weep in school at times.
I suppose all of that is behind me now. Dan Ross was a cool kid and great friend. I miss him and will continue to miss him.
Robert Harris
Steve, thanks so much for mentioning Dan.I have actually thought about Dan and his parents several times over the years; just the other night as a matter of fact.
I remember my mom breaking the news of his death to me and my brother right as we were starting spring break(?) our freshman year. I have fond memories of Dan and many '89 grads playing together at recess at Spicewood Elementary. I also played Town & Country baseball with Dan and he was a good athlete, a great sport, and always friendly. I'm a big NRA and pro-gun advocate and because of Dan's death, "gun safety" is always at the forefront of my mind when I go shooting. What a tragic accident.
Sad there are so many of our classmates who won't see this reunion ... it is important we remember them. We'll have to raise a toast in their memory.
Bob Harris
Steve Knight
This is a response from Dan's Dad. I truly appreciate Steve Knight remembering Dan and Robert Harris posting his memories. Dan's Mother, his older sister, and I have been dealing with Dan's death for 23 years. For his former classmates to take the time to share their memories eases the pain in our hearts. If other former classmates have memories of Dan, I encourage you to please share them. Dan's Mother, sister, and I will cherish them.Regards,
Dan Ross (Dan's Dad)
Steve Knight
Thanks Bob. I spoke to Dan's father recently about posting information about Dan. They miss him very much. I remember Dan most from our Spicewood days - riding my bike to his house on Plumewood. I remember that we spent a lot of time drawing (he was a very accomplished artist - even in the third grade!). Dan will be missed.Craig Shelton
Good on ya' Steve for mentioning Dan.Dan and I were friends at Spicewood Elem., up until my parents divorced and I had to move elsewhere.
I remember spending the night over at his house when we were in the third grade. He had this massive hill behind his house in an undeveloped area and we would ride our bikes at top speed down the hill making jumps. Good times! He was a good friend.
Craig Matson
I still remember...like others hearing the sad news about Dan. Dan and I were in the same Boy Scout troup and Mr. Ross was our Scout Master. Dan and I attended lots and lots of campouts and scouting events together. Mr. Ross was a very large influence in my life. Dan will always be remembered. God Bless!Dan (Dan's Dad) Ross (Ross)
These comments are from Dan Ross's Dad. First let me say I can't thank Dan's classmates enough for remembering Dan after all these years.Young Dan, his mother, and I lived in Winchester, England from Jan 1984 to June 1985 while I was working on an international assignment for IBM. While living in England we had the opportunity to travel to Belgium, France, Switzerland, Germany, Egypt, and all over England and Scotland. I will attempt to dig through some old boxes of photos and post some photos of Dan from this time period. Young Dan and I got to go skiing in Switzerland while living in England. He took to skiing right away, but I struggled to stay upright. On our last day of skiing, I asked Dan if he wanted to ski with me and he said “I don’t think so Dad. I have been watching you and you are too slow”. Dan celebrated his 14th Birthday in Venice, Italy while he, I, and his mother were on a vacation. The travel company had a birthday cake made for him and everyone on the bus sang Happy Birthday…he was so embarrassed. His mother and I have many fond memories of living in England and the many opportunities we had to travel.
If you don’t want the sad part, stop reading now. Dan died on Sunday, March 23, 1986 as result of a shooting accident. Dan, Dan’s brother-in-law and I were target shooting on a friend’s ranch north of Hwy 183 and Hwy 29. To this day I am not sure what happened. My best guess is that Dan dropped his weapon and while attempting to catch it, it hit the ground and discharged. The bullet entered through is arm pit and then severed one of the major arteries leading to his heart. I attempted to do CPR while my son-in-law drove us to Cedar Park where Star Flight was called in to transport Dan to Breckinridge Hospital. After the Star Flight helicopter lifted off, someone drove me and my son-in-law to the hospital. By the time we got to the hospital, young Dan had been pronounced dead. I had run the Capitol 10K that morning, and I can’t tell you how many times I wished I had fallen running the Capitol 10K that day and broken my leg so that we would have not gone target shooting on that fateful day. It is a parent’s worst nightmare to lose a child. It has taken almost a box of Kleenex for me to write about Dan’s death. The tears really flow when I recall that day. His death has come closer to killing me than the time I spent in Viet Nam as a Marine combat officer. For those of you that are parents don’t let a day go by without giving your children a hug.
In closing, let me say again thanks for remembering Dan.
Dan (Dan's Dad) Ross (Ross)
This is Dan's Dad again. I just uploaded some photos of young Dan from the time we lived in England. If you scroll to the guest section of the Classmate Profiles you can find my guest profile where I posted the photos.Dan (Dan's Dad) Ross (Ross)
This is Dan's dad again. I just uploaded a photo of young Dan from a ski trip he and I took to Brand Austria in March 1985.Hollie Kercheville (Worley)
I definitely remember Dan and good times together at Spicewood. Dan's accident all came back to me after reading Dan's father's account. There are no words to express my sympathy and heartfelt empathy. Thank you, Mr. Ross for sharing your pictures and stories. Being a mom of 3 boys that will most certainly hunt the rest of their lives, Dan's story is one that I will share with my family as a reminder that we can never be too careful. Mr. and Mrs. Ross, May God's hands hold you and keep you until you and your son are reunited.Kenny Zimmerman
I'm not sure if anyone knew it, but Dan and I were good friends in 9th grade. (We were also good friends in 6th grade before he moved to England). When I read about is death over spring break of our 9th grade year I was deeply hurt. It was the first time I had ever felt a deep loss for someone I cared about. He and I would hang out everyday at lunch, and just walk around the school grounds and talk. Dan was hilarious. That guy made me laugh so hard. He was one of the very few kids at Westwood that I felt a strong connection with. We both shared a cynical/comical view of the world. I think of that kid from time to time, and wonder what he would have grown up to be. He was a smart kid, one of the smartest. He spent the night a few times at my house in Millwood. We'd go out and explore the undeveloped woods around the neighborhood. I remember going to his funeral. A ton of people attended. I really hated everything when he died. He was my favorite friend. The week following his death was extremely difficult for me. I would openly weep in school at times.
I suppose all of that is behind me now. Dan Ross was a cool kid and great friend. I miss him and will continue to miss him.
ken