Fourth Generation

17. Edith Henrietta KOHL was born on 1 September 1916 in La Grange Township, Monroe County, WI.^11,18,29,37 She lived at her home in Colorado Springs, El Paso County, CO in November 2002.³⁸ She died on 13 September 2014 at the age of 98 in Colorado Springs, El Paso County, CO.³⁷

Obituary Notes: "Edith Kohl Ross, 98, of Colorado Springs passed away Saturday, Sept. 13, 2014. She was born Sept. 1, 1916, to Fred and Mae (Vandervort) Kohl in the La Grange Township, Monroe County, Wis. Following high school, she attended college for two years.

Edith started her career at Trane Corporation in La Crosse and worked for the Milwaukee Road, the U.S. Foreign Service, the State Department and the U.S. Air Force. She finished her career as a budget officer for 5th Army Headquarters at Ft. Sheridan, Ill. Of note in her career, she was one of the first people to occupy the NORAD underground command center in Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado Springs.

Edith’s lifelong passion was travel. In addition to living in Laos and Korea while working for the U.S. Foreign Service, she traveled the world throughout her adult life, taking her last major trip to Ireland at the age of 90. In all she visited 65 countries, at least that’s all we know of!

Edith was united in marriage to Burton Ross in 1961. She is survived by her children, David Ross of Denver, Colo. and John Ross of Johnstown, Colo.; her nephew Gary’s widow, Sandra Kohl of Appleton, Wis.; and Sandra’s children Tina, Tim, Troy, Jessie and Jennie.
Edith was preceded in death by her parents, Fred and Mae; and her husband, Burton; as well as her niece, Jeannie; and her nephews, Greg and Gary.

Funeral services will be held 11 a.m. Monday, Sept. 22, at Torkelson Funeral Home, Tomah. Burial will follow in Oak Grove Cemetery, Tomah. "

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Edith Henrietta KOHL and Burton Jerome ROSS were married on 22 September 1961 in Security, El Paso County, CO.^1,18,39 Notes from Arlyn Bernhardt:

Edith married Burton J. Ross [in 1961], a Lt. Col. in the Army Corp. of Engineers. Edith worked for the Trane Company in La Crosse, WI; CMSTP&P RR in Tomah, WI and Chicago, Illinois; and the U.S. State Department in Laos, Korea and Washington, D.C. She also worked in Civil Service, retiring in 1978 as Budget Officer, HQS, Fort Sheridan, Illinois.

She has two stepsons: John Ross, a Lutheran Pastor in Seward, NE, and David Ross who works as Chief of Information Services for the Colorado Health Dept. in Denver.
 
3/20/04 Email from Libby ROSS [wife of David ROSS]:
Burton was commander of a troop of black soldiers, working on the Burma Road during WWII. He was a Lt. Col. at the time of his accidental death in 1966. Edith and Burton were married for about 4 years.

Edith introduced Burton to his first wife, Frances Lee, when all of them worked for The Trane Company. Burton and Frances married [1941], but Edith was David and John's "Auntie E" all their lives, as she continued to remain good friends with Frances and Burt.

Then, Frances died in 1960, of leukemia, and Burton proposed to Edith a year later. David and John both believe Edith is the best thing that ever happened in their lives!"

. Burton Jerome ROSS, son of Earl ROSS and Ruth COOK, was born on 28 March 1918 in Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County, NY.¹⁸ He died on 30 November 1966 at the age of 48 in Chicago, Cook County, IL.^11,18

Edith Henrietta KOHL and Burton Jerome ROSS had the following children: