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Ross Ferguson Phillips passed away in Calgary on Friday, October 17, 2025, just shy of his 99th birthday.

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Ross was pre-deceased in February 2022 by Robin (nee King), his wife of 65 years, who loved him dearly. He also leaves his children, David (Ingrid) Phillips and Janet (Eric) Pedersen of Calgary; four adoring grandchildren, John (Kaia) Phillips of Kalispell, Montana, Lindsay Phillips (Mason Crandall), Mark Pedersen, and Ben Pedersen (Chaunie Nordquist), each of Calgary, and two great-grand children, Dawson Phillips and Adeline Crandall (with two more on the way). We knew him as dad or grandpa, the man who was hardworking, humble, honest, always in good humor, genuinely interested in people and their stories, a diligent weekend tenderer of his yard and vegetable garden (followed by a sandwich and a baseball game on TV), and seemingly bereft of mechanical ability.

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Ross was born at home in Winnipeg, Manitoba on October 21, 1926, the only child of Sidney and Olive Phillips. Growing up in the Great Depression profoundly shaped his outlook on life. His father lost his job in the early 1930s and had only occasional work after that. The family was poor, and Ross helped support his parents from the beginning of his work career. He was called up for duty in the Second World War on the day the war in Europe ended.

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Giving back to the community, both with his time and financially, was very important to Ross. Over the years, he served the Calgary Foundation (director, board chair, and Honorary Life Director. Calgary Stampede (director, audit committee chair, and Honorary Life Director), Foothills Hospital (director), Anglican Diocese of Calgary (chair of finance and administration board), Honens International Piano Competition (director), University of Calgary (audit and investment committees), Canadian Petroleum Association (governor), Financial Executives Institute (Alberta President), and the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (two committees). He was awarded the Fellow of the Chartered Accountants designation by the Alberta and Manitoba CA Institutes.

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Ross' work life got off to an early start. He graduated from Daniel McIntyre high school in Winnipeg at age 16 and immediately began work as an articling student at the Millar Macdonald accounting firm (because it paid and he and his family couldn't afford university). His starting monthly salary was $40, not much more than the $30 he made delivering the Winnipeg Free Press in high school. Ross moved to Millar Macdonald's Toronto office in late 1948 and was admitted as a CA in early 1949. In late 1949, he joined the Millar Mac client company Traders Finance Corporation, a job that took him for over half of each year to Traders' 50 or so offices across Canada from Sydney Nova Scotia to Victoria BC.

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An offer from former Millar Mac colleague took him to Calgary in min-1953 to work for Home Oil Company Limited. This move was doubly fortunate - the start of a great career in Calgary and, better yet, an opportunity to meet Robin (a dietitian at Colonel Belcher Hospital) on a blind date arranged by friends. Ross and Robin were married in 1956 and lived their entire married life in Calgary.

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Ross had a very rewarding career. He rose through the ranks at Home Oil, retiring in 1980 as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Ross was also a corporate director for many years, beginning in the 1970s and continuing in earnest after his retirement from Home Oil. He served as a director of TransAlta Corporation, Air Canada, Canadian insurance companies owned by Nationale-Nederlanden Group (ING, now Intact), Deutsche Bank Canada, Oxford Properties, and several other smaller companies.

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Ross and Robin enjoyed a wide circle of friends, were members of an active hiking group, and went on occasional trail rides in the Rockies. He was very good bridge player and a very average golfer. Seeing the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2025 World Series would have thrilled him. Robin and Ross travelled extensively in the years following Ross' retirement and spent time at their second home, a condo in Victoria BC. After the sale of their Lakeview home in Calgary, they lived for almost a decade at The Manor Village at Garrison Woods before Robin's death in 2022 and Ross moving into long-term care in early 2025. The family wishes to thanks the wonderful staff at The Manor for their kindness and attention to Ross' needs, and to thank his personal caregivers Daisy, Jose, Eva, Mark, and Chaunie wile he was in long-term care. 

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Ross' life was well-lived, and he leaves behind a close family who will remember him fondly and with much love. He had the good fortune to have his children and grandchildren live in Calgary near him for many years, strengthening the family bond. For that he was grateful, as are they.

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Source: Arbor Memorial, 2025

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