Lucy Ross Obituary

Lucy Owings Ross, a 55-year resident of Colorado Springs, passed away suddenly on March 9 in Tucson, Ariz. Mrs. Ross was born Lucy Penrose Owings on Aug. 7, 1928, in Prescott, Ark. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in geology from the University of Texas in 1950, one of only six women in her class of several hundred to be awarded that degree. She worked for Continental Oil Co. for two years after graduating. Mrs. Ross married James Robertson Ross in Fort Worth, Texas, on July 11, 1952. She moved to Colorado Springs in 1955 and began an extraordinary career in volunteerism that spanned more than 45 years. Among other things, Mrs. Ross was president of the Colorado Springs Child Nursery Centers, president of the Junior League of Colorado Springs, president of the Colorado Springs Alumnae Association of Kappa Kappa Gamma, and founder and president of the Downtowners, a grass-roots organization dedicated to preserving downtown Colorado Springs as the cultural and artistic heart of the city. In 1980, she served as co-chairman of the Greater Downtown Colorado Springs Bed Race with then-mayor T. Eugene McCleary. Her commitment to the revitalization of downtown Colorado Springs was reflected in her service as a member of the Citizens Goals Task Force on Design of the Community; her participation in the Citizens Goals Downtown Council; and her membership on the steering committee to update the city's downtown comprehensive plan. She was fundraising chairman for the Colorado Springs Centennial Committee in 1972. Mrs. Ross was campaign manager for her husband in his successful bids for El Paso County Commissioner and Colorado State Representative in the late 1960s and early 1970s. She was honored in 2009 as a key contributor to the public art initiative of the Downtown Partnership with her name inscribed on a new bronze sculpture, a woman riding a mountain bike, on the downtown side of the Bijou Bridge. Mrs. Ross was named Colorado Springs Woman of the Year in 1976 and was nominated for the Pikes Peak Assistance League's Silver Bell Award in the mid-1980s. She returned to a career in mineral management in 1985, when she became president of Deltex Royalty Co., her father's company. She later became president of LMA Royalties. She retired in 2007. As a volunteer, Mrs. Ross also served on the boards of the Pikes Peak United Way, the Nutrition Camp Foundation, Memorial Park, the Visiting Nurses Association, the Memorial Hospital Auxiliary, and the Colorado Springs Civic Theater. She was a member of the Colorado Springs Symphony Guild, served as general chairman of the Colorado Springs Symphony Ball, and was a member of the Colorado Springs Debutante Ball Committee. At the time of her death, Mrs. Ross was a member of the Downtown Partnership, the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, the National Association of Royalty Owners, the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region, the Cheyenne Mountain Zoological Society, and the Tubac (Arizona) Center of the Arts. She was an honorary member of the El Paso Club and was a member of the Broadmoor Golf Club, the Garden of the Gods Club, and the Tubac Golf Resort. Mrs. Ross was preceded in death by her husband in 1992, and by her sister, Audrey Owings of Aspen, in 1981. Survivors include her two daughters, Molly Owings Ross of Castle Rock and Amanda Ross Ritchie of Tucson; her son-in-law, Dennis Ritchie of Tucson; and two grandchildren, Hannah Ritchie and Benjamin (Ben) Ritchie, both of Tucson. Lucy will be fondly remembered for her wonderful sense of humor, her loving acceptance of others, and her ability to inspire people with her infectious enthusiasm for so many worthwhile causes. Memorial services are pending. In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory may be made to any of the following organizations: the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region (719-444-8437); Goodwill Industries of Colorado Springs Foundation (719-636-2682); the Junior League of Colorado Springs (719-632-3855); the Cheyenne Mountain Zoological Society (719-633-9925); or the Colorado Springs Downtown Development Authority (719-886-0088).