Ross Allan Mitchell

It is with great sadness and incredibly heavy hearts that the family of Ross Allan Mitchell announces his passing. Ross passed away on May 8th, 2022 in Burlington, Ontario at the very young age of 68 years old, with his children by his side following a very brief battle with cancer. Ross was born February 4th, 1954 in Guelph, Ontario. Ross was predeceased by his parents, the late George Ellwell Mitchell and Ruth Christine Mitchell and his brother Douglas Mitchell.

Ross was our beloved father, brother, uncle, and friend, but his proudest and most favourite title was "Poppa". Ross is survived by his children Valarie (David) Millard, Ryan (Andrea) Mitchell, Spencer Mitchell and Amanda (Jason) Mitchell. He is also survived by his most cherished worldly possessions, his ten grandchildren. Hailey, Kyle, Jacob, Cohen, Elena, Brayden, Jovi, Branson, Royce, and Addison. Ross took great pride in many aspects of his life but nothing compared to the love and admiration he had for his grandchildren. He always said, had he known being a Poppa would have been this great, he would have had them first.

Ross is survived by his siblings Dale (Harriet) Mitchell, Bruce (Diane) Mitchell, Kevin Mitchell, and Kathleen Mitchell, as well as, many nieces and nephews.

Ross carried a very distinguished and incredibly fulfilling career at the Halton Region as a Water Supervisor. He started his career in 1976 and decided to enjoy an early retirement in 2015. Ross had many accomplishments while working at the Halton Region but his greatest accomplishments were the relationships he made and cherished along the way. He had great respect and love for his region family.

Ross spent his retirement years being just that, retired. He did what he wanted, when he wanted and didn't run on anyone's schedule but his own. His days were spent in his happy place, his backyard, doing what he loved most in life, gardening, being a pool boy, and soaking up every minute he could with his grandkids. One of Ross's greatest retirement memories was a lengthy trip he took to Arizona with his brother Bruce. A trip he was hesitant on taking because nobody would be around to cut his beloved grass three times a day. His grass survived the trip and all he talked about when he returned home was the next trip, he and Bruce would take but with all of the brother's next time.

If you knew Ross, you knew how much he loved life, how much love he had for his kids, grandkids, extended family, and his kid's friends who instantly became part of the family. Everyone was always welcome in his home but more importantly, in his backyard. Laughs were always had, drinks were always served and it was abundantly clear how much love Ross had to give and the incredible amount of love he was given in return. Ross will be incredibly missed by so many. He was an absolute treasure to this world.

The Mitchell family in its entirety would like to send a special thank you to all of the wonderful nurses and doctors on 5S100 at Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital, as well as, Dr. Angela Jones. Our father was incredibly well cared for and treated with such dignity and respect in his final days. Our hearts were at ease in such a difficult time knowing that he was in such caring hands.

At Ross's request, there will be no funeral. He has been cremated and his final wishes were given to his children. In lieu of flowers, we ask that any donations be made to the pediatric oncology unit at McMaster Children's Hospital at https://www.hamiltonhealth.ca/memorialgiving . As most of you know, the pediatric oncology ward holds a very special place with the entire Mitchell family. They cared for and saved the life of Ross's firstborn grandchild, Hailey, at the young age of three when she was diagnosed with Leukemia. She is now sixteen years old and continues to thrive in life. That wouldn't have been possible without the support and dedication of this incredible facility. Ross and the entire Mitchell family have continued to donate and show support to this wonderful organization over the years. It would mean the world to Ross for any donations to be made to the Pediatric Oncology Unit at McMaster Children’s Hospital in memory of his life. (In the designation section please click on Other and type in Pediatric Oncology Unit at McMaster Children’s Hospital)

"Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened." - Dr. Seuss.