Marian DeCesare Ross

Marian DeCesare Ross, 99, of Petal, Mississippi, passed away on January 8, 2024. Marian was born on June 28, 1924, to Anthony and Frances (Nardiello) DeCesare in the Bronx (New York City). After she graduated from high school there, she went on to study interior design. She worked as a salesperson and a negative re-toucher in New York City before joining the Air Force in 1952 and training as a radio mechanic. In 1954, Marian met Lewis Dickerson Ross Jr. when they were both stationed at Hickam Air Force Base in Wahiawa, County of Honolulu, then-territory of Hawaii. They were married there on December 18, 1954. They moved around a bit with the military before buying their first house in Biloxi, Mississippi, and then settling in Petal, Mississippi, in 1969. They were married for sixty-nine years and had four children: Lewis Dickerson Ross III of Muscatine, Iowa; Anthony DeCesare Ross of Collins, Mississippi; Eric P. Ross of Diamondhead, Mississippi; and Diane Frances DeCesare Ross of Petal, Mississippi. Throughout most of her life, Marian worked hard as a homemaker. After an unpromising start with a very dry meat loaf, she was an excellent cook. She especially enjoyed baking, producing elaborate birthday cakes that were almost sculptures and hundreds of delicious Christmas cookies every year. She was a great party hostess: there are still those who remember a luau at her house, complete with hand-painted tablecloths. Marian was always very stylish, designing and sewing her own and her daughter’s clothes. A devout Catholic, she made sure her children were at church for 8:00 a.m. mass every Sunday. She taught Sunday school and was a member of the Rosary group. She also cultivated creativity and learning in her children, making a point of taking them to plays, concerts, libraries, and museums all over the United States (traveling by station wagon). In her spare time, she loved to make sculptures and paintings and to read about a variety of subjects. She was smart, funny, beautiful, and much loved. She was feisty to the end. Marian was predeceased by her parents and her five siblings: Marie DeCesare Frye, Peter DeCesare, Constance DeCesare Muller, Annette DeCesare Lucchese, and Francine DeCesare Gardner. She is survived by her husband, her four children, two daughters-in law (Cynthis Sellers Ross and Dian E. Prather Ross) four grandsons (Jason Ruddell, Eric “Ricky” Ross II, Chris Ruddell, and Benjamin Ross), four granddaughters-in-law (Kylin, Dujlada “Honey”, Rachel, and Lisa), eight great- grandchildren (Jaydon Ross, Caitlyn Ross, Benjamin “Bennie” Ross, Lilly Ross, Madison Ruddell, Kalia Ruddell, Sara Ruddell, and Benjamin Ruddell), cousin Vincent DeThomas of Mahopak, New York, and numerous nieces and nephews. After cremation at Pinehaven Funeral Home in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, a memorial service will be arranged at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to one of the following organizations Marian felt strongly about: St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, St. Joseph’s Indian School, the Sisters of Mercy (Biloxi, MS), Mississippi Public Broadcasting, or Lauren Rogers Museum of Art in Laurel, Mississippi. Graveside Saturday, February 10, 2024 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM Interment will be in Lone Star Cemetery at 323 Blackjack Road, just off Highway 84 (west of Collins, MS). Father Tommy Conway will officiate.

Marian DeCesare Ross

June 28, 1924 - January 8, 2024

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Marian DeCesare Ross

June 28, 1924 - January 8, 2024

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