Robert A. Rossell
December 2, 1934 ~ November 26, 2011
Robert A. "Bob," Rossell, 76, of Weirton, passed away Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011, at the Valley Hospice Care Center North, in Steubenville, Ohio.
Born on Dec. 2, 1934, in Weirton, Bob was the son of the late Allen Watson and Alyce Lazorchak Rossell. He also was preceded in death by his sisters, Mardelle L. Ritchie and Valgene Brown.
He was a Methodist by faith, a 1952 graduate of Weir High School and served in the Army Reserves from 1957 to 1965.
Bob worked at Weirton Steel for 39 years, retiring as manager of customer service. Among his many civic and community activities, he was best known for his devotion to his beloved Weir High. He served as public address announcer for Red Rider football for 44 years and Red Rider basketball for 33 years. He was founder of the Weir High School Wall of Fame and was the school's sports historian, the latter which inspired him to author the History of Weir High Football 1923 to 2005. Bob frequently appeared as a halftime guest during broadcasts of Red Rider football on 1430 WEIR Radio and was an avid Pittsburgh Pirates and Pittsburgh Steelers fan.
He also was a board member and adviser for Weirton Junior Achievement, charter member and chairperson of the Weirton Hall of Fame as well as a member of the Weirton Lions Club, the Weirton Steel Management Club, the Weirton Steel 25-Year Club, the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference Hall of Fame Selection Committee and the Upper Ohio Valley Dapper Dan Club.
Bob is survived by two nephews, John (Nancy) Ritchie of Steubenville and Larry (Michele) Ritchie of Weirton; cousins Beatrice Lampriakis and Francine Mineo of Mount Lebanon, Pa., Dolores Norvell of Canonsburg, Pa., and Gwen Roach of Jacksonville, Fla.; and four great-nieces.
Visitation will be 2-4 and 6-9 p.m. Tuesday at Greco-Hertnick Funeral Home, 3219 Main Street, Weirton, where funeral services will be conducted 11 a.m. Wednesday with the Rev. Larry Barkley officiating. Interment will follow at Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens.
Memorial contributions may be made to Weir High School c/o Wall of Fame, 100 Red Rider Road, Weirton, WV 26062.
Share tributes at www.grecohertnick.com.
John, Larry, I will miss my friend,teammate and brother.I’m sure you both know how I felt about Bob. His support for Weir High was second to “no one”! My condolences to your families. My friendship with Bob gave me more pleasure than you would ever know. Be at peace, you guys are “special” nephews.
Uncle Bobby you will be missed I love you with all my heart.
I love you uncle Bobby. You will be missed
John & Larry, My Condolances to you and your family. Bob was a great guy to work for and to talk sports on Monday morning.He was a true gentleman who always treated everyone with respect. Jim
My sympathies to all who loved Bobby. He was a true gentleman and a wonderful friend to me. I met him when I worked as a mail girl at Weirton Steel General Office. I was extremely shy and he was so funny and would tease me until I soon forgot about being shy. He knew how to be a friend and that is a rare thing these days. He came to my wedding almost 40 years ago now, and I’m so happy that I have pictures of him with us.He remains that young man in my memories as I haven’t seen him in many years. I will miss my dear friend and am glad to know I’ll see him again in Heaven, where he is spreading his good cheer and kindness around as he did on this earth. Goodbye, dear Bobby…. With love, Little Cheech
John, Larry and families, This man who was truly a gentleman. Those who knew Bob are aware of his great character and are blessed to have made his acquaintance. Those who did not know him, were deprived of a great privilege. We will miss him and never forget the kindness he showed to so many. May he rest in peace with God above. God bless you all. You will all be remembered in prayer. John Echelle
John and Nancy, Working with Bob on our many class reunions was a pleasure. He was always full of good humor , a good friend and will forever be the class of ’52’s “master of ceremonies”. With our deepest sympathy, Jane and Bob Dyer
Bob: You’ll always have a special place in my mind and my heart. Having worked with you in customer service at Weirton for quite a few years and laughed at your stories, as only you could tell, drink with you and to know you was a treat. You were a treasury of sports knowledge. I know God has a very special place in heaven for you big guy! You’ve earned your wings on earth and now you’ve come home. Save a place for the rest of us, when we meet again.
Bob: Thanks for all the wonderful memories. You were part of our family and hold a special place in our hearts. Your friendship will be sadly missed.
JOHN AND LARRY RITCHIE AND FAMILIES, WE ARE SORRY TO LEARN OF THE PASSING OF OUR DEAR FRIEND BOB. HE WAS A CLOSE FRIEND OF ALL THE HAMILLS. HE SHOULD BE KNOWN AS MR WEIR HIGH AS HE DEVOTED HIS WHOLE ADULT LIFE TO WEIR HIGH. HE CAN NEVER BE REPLACED. OUR WORK TOGETHER IN DAPPER DAN WAS SO CLOSE. WE WILL MISS HIM GREATLY. OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS ARE WITH ALL OF YOU. SINCERELY, JERRY AND CARL ALAN HAMILL
JOHN AND LARRY, Thanks for introducing me to Bob recently , John, It was certainly a pleasure for me. He said such kind words about my dad.I know my dad has welcomed him to heaven. You can tell he was highly thought of by the kind words from others. Love, Anne Culley Verdin
Larry, John and Family, I just wanted to say what a great person Bob was. His love for Weir High Sports and all the kids that played was touching. He touched our lives when my daughter Paige was a freshman. He couldn’t believe what a athelete she was. He told me then your daughter is going to go somewhere.When he announced her name for baskeball on the varsity team he said it correctly. Not very many people do. When Paige was a senior she was picked for Lions club scholarship which Bob nominated her for. I can remember telling him that day about Paiges hip problem that it was going to keep her from playing college ball and he was so upset. I will never forget the look on his face of how bad he felt for her. Bob was truely a great person and will be missed by many and will always be in our hearts. Our love and prayers to your family.
I’m go grateful that I got to see Bob at the final game at Jimmy Carey Stadium last month. He gave so much to his community and to Weir High School, and he will be dearly missed by all who knew him.
Dear John, Larry and family, Bob was one the finest men we have ever known. He loved his family, church and community. We looked forward to spending time at the Rossell reunion each year. He will always be our “president” emeritus! He made us laugh with all his stories and he always has us take take a moment to remember all our deceased loved ones. Bob- you were the best and we were privileged to be a part of your family! Save us a seat on the 50 yard-line…Go with God and go in peace.
Dear John, Larry and family, Bob was one the finest men we have ever known. He loved his family, church and community. We looked forward to spending time at the Rossell reunion each year. He will always be our “president” emeritus! He made us laugh with all his stories and he always has us take take a moment to remember all our deceased loved ones. Bob- you were the best and we were privileged to be a part of your family! Save us a seat on the 50 yard-line…Go with God and go in peace.
To all of us who shared in the life, love and talents of Bob Rossell, We grieve over his passing and celebrate the life he shared with us all. Known most for being the “Voice of Weir High School” he was quite a historian and we were lucky to have the opportunity to be a part of his life at some point or another. He promoted the youth of our area in sports and academics through his many organizations that he participated in. He was always supportive to our children in all their endeavors and our family had a great fondness for him. He always had a kind word and remembered the most wonderful details about people. It is with great sadness that we write these words, but you will surely be missed by our family as well as the Red Rider family. So long dear friend. Love, The Gurskey Family
Dear Bob Rossell Family: I went to high school with Bob, class of ’52. I remember him as a kind, friendly guy who treated everyone with the highest of respect. You have to be so proud of him, he leaves quite a legacy behind supporting the youth of Weir High and the community. With deepest sympathy~ May God’s blessings be with you and comfort you at this sad time, Juanita Patty Wilson
To John,Larry and family my last visit to Weirton for the closing of the stadium, I visited with my friend Bob at the hospital. We prayed together for a lasting love, friendship,peace and ease of pain. I will always remember Bob and what he meant to me in my life. I will miss him. May God keep all of you in his care in this time of need.
My condolances to the family. Bob will be sadly missed by all of us. Blessings to your family.
My condolances to Bob’s family. I appreciated all of Bob’s conributions to the Weirton community and to the Weir High Red Riders. The Battista family in Weirton respected all of Bob’s efforts. Bob’s Red Rider spirit will live forever! May God be with you. Tommy Battista, WHS 1969′
Our condolances to Bobs family. Ive known Bob for more than 25 years and he was a great man. It was good to be back in Weirton to visit with family and that included Bob. sat around my moms kitchen table and talked while we watched her bake cookies. I remember being home for a Weir High game and getting to share in the tradition of a Capri Sausage sandwich after the game. He will be missed. The school has lost a legend and great supporter. Yor were a special man and I’ll miss our visits.
Our condolances to Bobs family. Ive known Bob for more than 25 years and he was a great man. It was good to be back in Weirton to visit with family and that included Bob. sat around my moms kitchen table and talked while we watched her bake cookies. I remember being home for a Weir High game and getting to share in the tradition of a Capri Sausage sandwich after the game. He will be missed. The school has lost a legend and great supporter. Yor were a special man and I’ll miss our visits.
JOHN AND lARRY YOU LOST A GREAT UNCLE AND WEIRTON AND WEIR HIGH SCHOOL LOST THERE NUMBER 1 FAN AND HISTORIAN. IT WAS A PLEASURE TO MEET HIM AT THE CLOSING OF THE JIMMY…MY BEST TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILIES..
Dear Family: How Im going to miss my dear friend, Roz! For 35+ years, he has been such a blessing to me and my family. I will always remember how loving and kind he was to me, my husband, Bob, and our son, Robb. His great sense of humor and stories always kept us laughing! Even after Roz and I retired from Weirton Steel, and I was no longer his secretary, he never forgot me and always sent cards and/or flowers. How I will miss getting those cards with his humorous notes! We grieve now, but one day we will see him again in heaven. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
To Bob’s family, On behalf of the Weir High faculty and staff, I would like to extend our deepest sympathy to you. With heavy hearts, we celebrate the life that he dedicated to the Weir students and the Weirton community. It is impossible to thank Bob for everything that he has done for all of us at Weir High in this forum. What we can do is to make sure that Bob’s legacy lives on at Weir High School. I will make sure of that. Thank you Bob for being with us through the good and bad. You will be truly missed, but not forgotten. Rest in peace. Dan Enich Principal Weir High School
I worked with Bob at WSX in the 1970’s. What an absolute great guy! I am so sorry to hear of his passing. I will certainly keep him in my pryaers. With deepest sympathy.
We are very sorry to hear of Bob’s passing. I had the privilige to know Bob as I served as the head football coach at Weir High from 2005-2008. Bob was so positive, generous, and knew how to put “Kid’s First” during both the great times and the not so great times. I will miss Bob, as he was kind to our entire football family. May You Rest In Peace, my friend! God Bless You! Eric, Danielle, Carson & Regan Meek.
To the family of “Roz”, I was truly saddened to learn that a dear friend had passed. I was lucky enough to befriend Roz approximately thirteen years ago while working at Millsop Community Center, and will always remember our chats on a variety of topics — primarily, sports, food, and Seinfeld! In today’s technology driven world, Roz and I kept in contact over the years through handwritten letters and cards, which I have kept and will cherish always. I know Roz’s kind spirit will live on in the lives of the people he’s touched, including mine.
Uncle Bobby, You will surely be missed. Nobody could tell a story like you. You could take the most mundane moment and make it hilarious with your sound effects and facial expressions. I hope to honor your legacy one day by becoming a comedian. Most of my Christmas eve holidays were spent with you. This one will be very different, but I know you’re at peace.The world lost a wonderful man, but heaven gained one. ~ Love your niece
May you finally be at peace.
To the family of Mr. Rossell, My deepest sympathies of loosing such a great man. As a graduate of Weir High & an athlete, Mr. Rossell became one of my biggest fans. After graduating, he made a few trip to attend my college volleyball games, and I can’t begin to tell you how amazing it was to see a familiar face in the stands. Mr. Rossell made it to my final game, waiting there with flowers and a huge hug. What an amazing man! Know that Mr. Rossell touched the lives of many and will never be forgotten. May you find peace in your memories during this time.
Bob was the sweetest, kindest man I have ever known and my children and I feel blessed to have been a part of his life.
Family of Bob Rossell, I worked with Bob a while back at Weirton Steel and he always had something nice to say to me. May he rest in peace.
For John Ritchie and the entire Bob Rossell family. I was very saddened to learn of Bob’s passing. I first met Bob in the 1960’s and I quickly identified him as an exceptional individual. Bob was so approachable and friendly. It’s been years since we made any connection, but I had never forgotten what a good guy Bob Rossell had always been. I had recently sought out his phone number from a mutual friend and will always regret not doing so sooner. I will forever remember his warm smile, friendly demeanor, and exceptional sense of humor. Please accept my sincere sympathy on the loss of one of the all time great guys.