Ross Woodman 1922-2014
We have a lost a great friend and mentor in our art world. When he would darken our door, the sun was always behind him. We will miss him very much having tea and laughing and dissecting the art world together. The Woodman Room, the gallery and the art community of Canada will be forever grateful for his generosity of time and unconditional love.
Ross Greig Woodman died peacefully in his home in London, Ontario, Thursday, March 20, 2014. He is mourned by his loving wife Marion Jean (Boa). Ross was born in Port William, Kings County, Nova Scotia, November 28, 1922.
After serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force, he received his MA from United College (now University of Winnipeg) and PhD from the University of Toronto. For nearly forty years Ross was Professor in the Department of English at the University of Western Ontario, where he taught Romantic literature, until his retirement in 1989. In 1993 he received the Distinguished Scholar Award from the Keats-Shelley Association of America.
An avid collector of contemporary Canadian and international art, Ross was a tireless champion of artists and the arts. He was one of the founders of the legendary 20/20 Gallery in London, Ontario, and was a founding member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Canada.
Ross is survived by a sister Catherine; son Monty, daughter Maggie, and grandson James; nieces and nephews David and Janet, Luke, Marion, Paul and Kathryn, Quint, Shelley, and Siobhan; great-nieces and nephews Aidan, Anouk, Connor, two Ellas, Emma, Finlay, Loveday, Marlow, Marion, and Sam. He is predeceased by three half-brothers Gordon, Paul, and Harold.
Visitation on Tuesday, March 25 from 7-9 pm at the Harris Funeral Home, 220 St. James St. at Richmond, London, where the funeral service will be conducted on Wednesday, March 26 at 11 am. Interment Mt. Pleasant Cemetery. A celebration of his life will be held in the near future. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to either the McIntosh Gallery at Western University or the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Canada.