Ross Willows

A Life Well Lived

Ross was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and grew up with his parents, Dr. and Mrs. Ross Willows, and his sister Judy, in Winnipeg. He died with Carol and Thomas by his side in Old Chatham, New York, his home of 25 years.

He found his soul's home in Vancouver, British Columbia, where he went to art school and forged his identity as a visual artist. He was an editor and then became a cameraman at the Canadian Broadcasting Company, work that became one of the pillars of his identity. In that role he was an international rover — embracing people, culture, music, and food as he discovered swaths of Europe, Africa, and Southeast Asia.

Ross was a vital force and a cherished colleague at Art Omi in Ghent, New York, for over thirty years. Since its inception, he captured artists and their work on film, working alongside visual artists, musicians, dancers, writers and translators from every continent. It meant everything to him and was one of his abiding loves.

Intellectual curiosity was one of Ross's defining characteristics. Every day of his life he listened, watched, read, searched and learned something new that fascinated him. Most essentially, he was an artist. Few days passed without shooting, drawing, designing — none without imagining.

His kindness was legion. A noted raconteur, and expert in fun, when he entered a room spirits were lifted and a very good time was promised.

And yet, his Buddha nature underlay every aspect of his life. He did not fret, judge, or obsess — he accepted and created, with delight.

Ross's absence is deeply felt, and his memory is indeed a blessing for his wife, Carol Frederick and her family; his son, Thomas Scott, and family Laura and Easton; nephew Lee Repko, Willow and Ruby Repko; and all the members of his Greenburger family — Francis and Isabelle; nephews Morgan, Noah and his wife Noa; nieces Julia and Claire; and Michael, Annabelle and Wiley.

His special spirit will remain, too, in the memory of so many colleagues over the years at Art Omi and the hundreds of artists and friends around the world who appreciated him so deeply.