Ross Leonard Ballard, 85, died at St. Mary's Hospital in Reno, Nevada on Tuesday, July 23, 2002.
He was born May 3, 1917 in Garfield, Utah, the eldest of ten children of Ross Day and Ruby (Henriod) Ballard. He spent most of his childhood in Draper, Utah on the family farm. In 1935 Ross graduated from Jordan High School in Sandy, Utah. He attended Brigham Young University at Provo, Utah and in 1941 graduated from the University of Utah with a Bachelor of Science. In 1942 he received a Masters of Anatomy from the University of Utah and in 1943 received his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Southern California at Los Angeles, California. His internship and residency was at Santa Fe Hospital in Los Angeles, where he met his future wife.
He married Dorothy Leota Dodd on March 26, 1944 at the First Methodist Church in Los Angeles, California. The summer was spent in Needles, California as Acting Division Surgeon for Santa Fe Hospital. He served as the Chief Medical Officer aboard the USS Grimes in the Pacific Theatre. He was honorably discharged in 1946.
After the war Ross returned to Needles, California as general physician at Santa Fe Hospital. In 1949 he moved to San Bernardino, California and served the San Bernardino Inland Community for 30 years as a general physician and later as a specialist in obstetrics and gynecology.
In 1979 he retired from general practice and became the Medical Director of the Student Health Center at California State University, San Bernardino. He oversaw the development of the Student Health Facility and worked there for over nine years.
He was past president of the San Bernardino County Medical Society and served as a trustee on the Blue Shield of California Board from 1971-1977.
In addition to medicine and his family, Ross enjoyed developing his musical talents, playing throughout high school and college. Specializing in the bassoon and baritone saxophone, he joined the San Bernardino Musicians Union and played in the San Bernardino Civic Light Operas. Ross was an avid reader, gardener and in his senior years was challenged by the game of golf. In September 1991 Ross and Dorothy moved to Reno, Nevada to enjoy a quieter life style.
Ross was preceded in death by his parents, wife, brother, Garth H Ballard and sister, Barbara H (Ballard) Allen Castillo. He is survived by his four children, Anne (Ballard) Hinkle of Costa Mesa, CA; Ross Leonard Ballard, Jr. of Nyssa, OR; Catherine Ballard of Reno, NV; John David Ballard of Boise, ID; six brothers, Robert H. Ballard of San Bernardino, CA; Dale H. Ballard of Cottonwood, UT; Eugene H. Ballard, Melvin H. Ballard, Wayne H. Ballard, and Bruce H. Ballard, all of Draper, UT; sister Rachel (Ballard) Kimball of Draper, UT; and five grandchildren, Scott B. Hinkle of Cardiff, CA, Paul R. Hinkle of Manhattan Beach, CA, Marie L. Ballard, Ross J. Ballard and Richard A. Ballard, all of Nyssa, OR.
Services will be held on Monday, July 29, 2002, 11 a.m. at Goff Mortuary, 8090 So. State, Midvale, with a viewing one hour prior. Interment, Draper City Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial gifts be sent to the University of Nevada, Reno, designated for the "Dr. Ross L and Dorothy D Ballard Memorial Nursing Scholarships." Please send gift to the UNR Foundation, Mail Stop 162, Reno, Nevada 89557.