Who was my mom?

Barbara Ann Sexton Bannister Ross

November 16, 1946 - January 14, 2008

Barbara was born in Bethesda, MD. She was the third child of five (John, Katherine, Marie, Hope) after the death of their father they moved, with their mother, into the Veterans of Foreign Wars Homes (VFW) in Eaton Rapids, MI. There she met and grew up with Ken Bannister. She graduated from Eaton Rapids High School in 1964. Barb and Ken were married in January 1965. They moved to Oshkosh, WI where their first child Sandie was born later that year. In 1967, they lost a child, Michael, when he was born with polycystic kidneys. For a fresh start and to be close to Ken’s family they moved to Louisville, KY. Soon after arriving in Louisville, they found St. John’s Episcopal Church. That church became the cornerstone of their support system when they lost a daughter, Terri, also to polycystic kidneys. In 1971, Barb and Ken’s youngest daughter Susan was born. St. John’s continued to be an important part of the family’s life for the next 40 years.

The other group of people that changed Barb’s life forever belonged to The Charles L. Shedd Association. With them, she learned specific multi-sensory techniques for tutoring children with learning disabilities. Since she and both the girls were dyslexic, this association provided guidance, support, and education for many years. During this time in her life, she worked for both Spalding and Bellarmine Universities. She continuously availed herself of the opportunity to pursue Liberal Arts Studies course work. She tutored and mentored young college students far from home. She wanted to make their transition into adulthood as smooth as possible.

In 1984, Barb and Ken divorced. In 1986, Barb married SFC Steven Ross, who was employed by the US Army. She moved to Germany with him while he finished his current assignment. They came home to Louisville for a couple years before being sent to Canada for Steve’s final station assignment. Since the couple lived off base, both assignments made many special friends in each country. These friends have been a constant and continuing source of joy and support.

The new century brought many changes. She, Steve, Sandie and Dirk decided to purchase a home for the purpose of providing a special place for home-schooled students to learn and grow together. For the last eight years of her life, Barb was able to work daily with her three grandchildren and other students sharing her love of books and mathematics. She not only educated students in reading, writing and arithmetic, but also in life lessons of wisdom, and manners with much love.