Reggie Ross - December 24, 2019

[Superlyte27]

Soft spoken, he was not. Lol.

Great instructor, great person, but I could hear him cuss at a student from across the cave. Lol

 

[dewdropsonrosa]

Oh, Reggie would definitely let students have it if they underperformed his expectations on a dive.

The back-on-the-surface coaching that followed after such an episode was second to none.

 

[dewdropsonrosa]

From Chris Brock, Reggie's dear friend:

Hi everyone, I just posted this on my Facebook. If you would please share or create your own post so we might get the word out. Thanks.​

Our dear friend Reggie Ross passed away on December 24. His celebration of life will be Sunday, December 29, at Knauff Funeral Home, in Williston Fl at 2:00 pm. All friends and loved ones are welcome.

​

For @The Chairman and others in a position to attend.

 

[Manatee Diver]

Oh, Reggie would definitely let students have it if they underperformed his expectations on a dive.

The back-on-the-surface coaching that followed after such an episode was second to none.

You can also tell when he was unhappy by the way he swam, he definitely swam with more purpose when he was unhappy.

 

[tbone1004]

@The Chairman I sent you the funeral details in FB messenger

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

This is a huge loss for the diving community. My deepest condolences to his students, friends and family.

 

[Gene]

I've known Reggie for about 15 years and I always appreciated talking with him, even if it was briefly on the steps of a dive site as he was entering or exiting with his students. I also appreciated his smile and sense of humor.
I remember one time at Manatee many years ago, he had some German students as opposed to his usual Russians. Having lived in Germany twice, I always love the chance to practice my rusty German as I did with his student. He smiled and mentioned something about needing to learn to speak Russian and/or another language. Reggie was never my instructor but I respected him as an instructor and enjoyed watching him teach. I'll miss seeing that now, and that Reggie grin.

 

[The Chairman]

When I first responded, on this thread I was in a deep, deep shock. I first met Reggie in 2002 at my ITC where he was second in command behind Wayne Mitchell. When he critiqued me, it was never to impress anyone else, but rather to help me improve. As Rosa said: He always cared. Always. I remember one incredibly hard day in the pool during my ITC, I had just finished taking a shower and was walking out singing Be Bop a Ree Bop Rhubarb Pie jingle from Prairie Home Companion. He turned around and finished the line: "Yes, nothing gets the taste of humiliation out of your mouth like a piece of rhubarb pie." I was impressed. Reggie and @MB were the only ones to see how frustrated I was during that class

Reggie was a unique soul. Quick to see the joke or irony in a situation, he was as gentle as anyone I have ever known and he always cared. Seeing him was always a joy and often a learning experience. I will certainly miss seeing him at the various gatherings here in Cave Country. I'm gonig to miss his smile, his humor and his calming presence. We lost a cave warrior, a true hero. Via con Dios, mi amigo!

 

[Compressor]

For those who want to know more about Reggie please visit his beautiful website.

Credit: Picture is from this website.

 

[dewdropsonrosa]

I'm on the road for the service tomorrow afternoon. Six and a half hours left to go...

For anyone who can't make it but would still like to leave a message in the condolences book, feel free to send me a message and I'll transcribe it for you when I get there.