Jerrie Lyn Ross

Jerrie Lyn Ross, a friend to everyone, bright light and loving soul left this earth on Thursday, August 6, 2020.

She was born May 19, 1958, in Topeka, KS, the daughter of Lawrence Leroy Heath and Gale Marie (Nye) Heath.

Affectionately known as "JR" by all her friends and family, she was a tremendous gardener and Cook, not to mention "Ms. Fix-it". if you needed help, JR was who you called. It didn't matter if it was in the attic, crawl space or the wide-open outdoors….Partly because she was the only one who could fit into the small spaces.

If "Jon Snow" were real and single, that would be her man. She would have her own Game of Thrones, which she could recite the whole series whether you asked or not. When she watched, she always claimed the louder the volume the better.

Jerrie was known for her secret chili verde receipe, and the hands down best homemade noodles around. She was also known for eating all of the chips and salsa so you had to make sure you were before her in the food line. She also loved her sweet corn on the cob and fresh tomatoes.

Jerrie attended Topeka West and graduated from the school of Hard Knocks with a PhD in life. She never gave up on anything and would try everything at least once. She was a strong and independent woman who never backed down.

Jerrie and Robert Ross became the proud parents of their son James Howard Ross. He was the love of her life until she met her granddaughter Madison. Jim was OK with taking second place just to see the joy and smile on his mother's face as she got to know and play with Madison. Jerrie was a natural giver and lover and had a huge heart made of Gold. This may be why she only had one biological child because she mothered every child she met. They all loved her.

Jerrie was also known for her sense of style. In her younger years she dressed like she was the Princess going to the World's Ball even if she was just running to the store. In more recent years she graduated to comfy jeans, bright colored Converses and ALWAYS bright colored, mis-matched socks. If you mentioned to her that her socks didn't match you normally would hear, "folding socks is boring and who sees your feet anyway"? Well evidently everyone commented on the socks as it has been mentioned several times since her passing.

Jerrie loved her pets to the extreme and spoiled them rotten. Her companion of many years was Bugsy. We are sure Bugsy greeted her at the pearly gates with a toy in his mouth and a wag of his bobbed tail.

She was also known to be a bit of a thief. If you had pretty, shiny rocks in your driveway you better hide them or she would pick them up and take them home to beautify her own drive. To be fair, it's hard to call it stealing as she would announce that they now belonged to her. She loved all things pretty and shiny, but those items were dull compared to her both inside and out.

The stories of her life could go on and on, but the story wouldn't be complete without mention of her sweepstakes phase. How many people do you know won an expensive grill, a car, and a pickup plus much more. Of course, her approach was scientific and included help from her family and friends.

Jerrie leaves behind a family that loved her as much as she loved them. Survivors include, the love of her life, her son James Howard Ross of Topeka, KS; the apple of her eye, her granddaughter Madison Bennett; her mother Gale Simmons of Westmoreland, KS; her stepmother Catherine "Betty" Heath of Topeka; three sisters and their husbands Jacque (Doug) Dupy of Castle Pines, CO; Dawn (Butch) Belville of Manhattan, KS; Casey (Jeff) Overbey of Pensacola, FL; two brothers James (Renee) Heath of Westmoreland, KS; Eric Heath of Wilson, KS; many nieces, nephews, cousins, very dear friends, along with her baby girl, Elle, her beloved dog who is also lost without her.

She was preceded in death by her father Larry Heath, her nephew Travis Belville and her beloved pet Bugsy, who were all happy to greet her in heaven.

The family will receive friends from 6:00 until 8:00 p.m., Wednesday, August 12, 2020 at Dove Cremations and Funerals, Southwest Chapel, 3700 SW Wanamaker Rd., Topeka. Cremation will follow the viewing.

Memorial contributions may be made to https://www.gofundme.com/f/jerrie-jr-ross-funeral-and-family-expenses?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1

To leave a special message for Jerrie's family, please visit the guestbook below.