Thurman "Buddy" William Ross, Jr.

Buddy Ross, 79, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, February 22, 2023 in Huntersville, North Carolina. Buddy was born on July 26, 1943 in Smithfield, North Carolina to the late Thurman William Ross and Dora Edna Ellis Ross and lived in Clayton, North Carolina.  His sister, Francis Ross (Lassiter) Bissett, passed away in 2012. 

He is survived by his son, Thurman (Trae) William Ross III and wife, Allison, three granddaughters, Emme Louise Ross and Evan Wallace Ross of Saint Simons Island, Georgia, Ellis Elizabeth Ross of New York City; brother Timothy Aubrey Ross and wife Ann of Clayton, North Carolina, nephews Cory Aubrey Ross, and Travis Allen Ross; and niece Myra Lassiter Brown. 

Buddy graduated from Clayton High School in 1961 and graduated from the University of North Carolina – Charlotte in 1972 where he studied Political Science.  

He enlisted in the United States Army in July 1962, serving in the US and Germany until July 1965 and rising to Sergeant E-5.  After returning home, Buddy worked with the NC Department of Corrections in Raleigh from 1965-1969.  He joined the NC Bureau of Investigations as a special agent serving from July 1972 through October 1992 rising to the rank of Special Agent IV.  Later he served as a Reserve Police Officer with both the Charlotte Police Department and the Cornelius Police Department from November 1992 - January 1993, the Charlotte – Mecklenburg Police Department as an Investigator, Assets Forfeiture Unit 1993-1999, and the US Marshall Services as a Court Security Officer 2000 - 2012.   

Buddy was a nominee for the Governor’s Award for Excellence representing the Department of Justice in 1992 and was the holder of the SBI record for opening the most drug cases in the history of the Bureau.
A memorial service will be held Friday, March 3, 2023, at 3:00 PM at Raymer-Kepner Funeral Home 16901 Old Statesville Road, Huntersville, NC. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Wounded Warriors Project, Paralyzed Veterans of America, or your favorite charity.