Sam Gojanovich
Strength of Character
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A couple of years ago my wife and I discovered a small Legion in our neighbourhood. We were curious about what went on behind the closed doors of the Royal Canadian Legion, and on a bit of a lark, we decided to join. We quickly discovered a lively group of members who gathered every Wednesday night for Euchre. Central to this group was a good natured Veteran named Ross Annis and his girlfriend Barb. Despite the age difference, we soon became fast friends with Ross and the rest of Euchre club. Eventually of course other events made our lives too busy to attend regularly, but we still drop by whenever we can.
When I started at The Memory Project I decided to contact Ross for my first interview and he agreed to share his experiences. Ross spent 29 years in the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals and was a witness to many significant events during the course of his service. During the Second World War, his journey with the RCCS took him from Sicily to Italy and then from Marseilles to the Netherlands. After peace was declared he continued on in the military and was later stationed in Japan during the Korean War. He retired in 1969 and became a dedicated member of the Legion. He always worked very hard to ensure that the Poppy Campaign at his branch was a huge success every year.
This past month, soon after Remembrance Day, Ross took ill and passed away. Even though he was 90 years old, it still came as a shock. He kept so busy and lived so independently that it was easy to forget his years. In fact, he’d just renewed his driver’s licence. We often hear about how quickly we are losing our veterans, and Ross's passing is a sad reminder of that. However, when a veteran passes we lose more than an eyewitness to history. Ross possessed an uncommon strength of character that was shaped by the events of his generation. His living example of this rare virtue is by far our most significant loss. He was a gentleman in the rarest sense and he had genuine class. He leaves behind family, loved ones and of course, his many friends at the Euchre club. He will be sorely missed by all of us.
When I started at The Memory Project I decided to contact Ross for my first interview and he agreed to share his experiences. Ross spent 29 years in the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals and was a witness to many significant events during the course of his service. During the Second World War, his journey with the RCCS took him from Sicily to Italy and then from Marseilles to the Netherlands. After peace was declared he continued on in the military and was later stationed in Japan during the Korean War. He retired in 1969 and became a dedicated member of the Legion. He always worked very hard to ensure that the Poppy Campaign at his branch was a huge success every year.
This past month, soon after Remembrance Day, Ross took ill and passed away. Even though he was 90 years old, it still came as a shock. He kept so busy and lived so independently that it was easy to forget his years. In fact, he’d just renewed his driver’s licence. We often hear about how quickly we are losing our veterans, and Ross's passing is a sad reminder of that. However, when a veteran passes we lose more than an eyewitness to history. Ross possessed an uncommon strength of character that was shaped by the events of his generation. His living example of this rare virtue is by far our most significant loss. He was a gentleman in the rarest sense and he had genuine class. He leaves behind family, loved ones and of course, his many friends at the Euchre club. He will be sorely missed by all of us.
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