DR. ROSS JIRO YONEDA August 26, 1952 - May 17, 2009 Dr. Ross Yoneda passed away on May 17, 2009 after living with cancer for many years. He leaves behind his beloved wife, Navy Sahota, and their precious children Joshua and Marissa. Ross, the cherished son of Masa and the late Dr. Taro Yoneda, is also survived by his siblings Bruce (Brenda), Janet (Keir), Garth (Joanna), and Faye. His loving family also includes: Aunt Shirley Junkin, his cousin Jennifer Takahashi, his in-laws Ajit and Harbhajan Sahota and their daughters Nunden (Parm), Patty, and Neelam. Ross is also remembered and sadly missed by his many nieces and nephews. Ross' family and friends have shared many happy times with him and will never forget his kind, generous, and tenacious spirit. Ross was born in Edmonton, Alberta, and graduated from the University of Alberta medical school in 1977. Thereafter he worked with the Canadian Armed Forces in Dalhousie, Cold Lake, and Ottawa. As a physician, Ross did locums in Rocky Mountain House and in Stettler, Alberta. In 1986 Ross moved to Kamloops and began his practice as a family and emergency room physician. During this time he delivered hundreds of babies and felt privileged to have participated in the lives of his patients. He expressed deep appreciation for the opportunity to work with friends and colleagues in the Kamloops medical community. He was an empathetic and skilled physician and felt sadness that he was not able to practice medicine longer. His community and hospital were very important to him as reflected in his generous annual donations to the Royal Inland Hospital Foundation. Ross had many special talents and activities he loved to do. Windsurfing and snowboarding gave Ross exhilaration over many years. He enjoyed being able to share his knowledge with others, particularly with Josh and Marissa in activities such as snowboarding and painting. Ross' biggest love was his children. Watching Josh play basketball or do a saxophone solo, cheering Marissa at her soccer games, listening to each of them play the piano, learning with them for school projects and tests, sharing jokes or quiet times - Ross was completely happy at those moments. He was proud of each of his children, and felt very fortunate to be their Dad. Ross had a wonderful way of communicating with patients, colleagues, friends, family, and even strangers. He was so encouraging and interested in others, and we will be forever thankful. His family would like to express appreciation to the countless medical staff and support workers who cared for Ross over the years, particularly Dr. Mike Wilson. A memorial service to celebrate Ross' life will be held at 11:00 a.m. on May 30, 2009 at the Calvary Community Church, 1205 Rogers Way in Kamloops, BC. Rev. Viktor Gundel, RIH Hospital Chaplain, will officiate the service. In memory of Ross, donations can be made in his name to the Royal Inland Hospital Foundation, 311 Columbia Street, Kamloops, BC, V2C 2T1. Online condolences may be expressed at http://www.schoenings.com