Ross, Rozzell gave lifetime of service; both will be missed

It’s never easy to say goodbye to loved ones, even when they’ve lived long, happy, productive lives.

It’s harder still when those lives had such far-reaching impact because they had been committed to the service of others.

We all lost good friends last week with the passing of the Rev. Dick Ross and Dr. O.T. Rozzell.

Ross, 76, died Wednesday after a lifetime of ministry that included four decades as Clovis police and fire chaplain.

Rozzell, 91, died Monday after practicing dentistry for more than 50 years in Clovis.

Ross pastored churches in New Mexico, California and Washington, helped lead the New Mexico Baptist Disaster Relief organization, and volunteered with numerous organizations including the Red Cross.

“To say he was inspirational and a role model doesn’t even begin to describe his impact,” United Way of Eastern New Mexico Director Erinn Burch wrote on her Facebook page after learning of Ross’ death.

“He was a friend and a mentor. I am saddened that he’ll never drop in for a chat again, there will be no more hugs and laughter with him. Thank you Dick for all you gave to this world and the friendship you gave to me.”

Rozzell, a Clovis native, said he first began thinking about becoming a dentist when he was 5. “I had a toothache,” he told a reporter in 2013. A local dentist extracted the tooth, “and I was pain-free, so I wanted to help other people in pain,” he said.

Rozzell joined the Navy during World War II with the intent of becoming a fighter pilot. After learning he could not fly with the military because he was color blind, he joined the V-12 Navy College Training Program, which allowed him to become a dentist.

He practiced in Clovis for more than five decades and did volunteer dental work for impoverished children into his 80s.

Services for Ross are scheduled for 10 a.m. Monday at Central Baptist Church in Clovis.

Services for Rozzell are set for 2 p.m. Monday at West 21st Street Church of Christ in Clovis.

Both men made our lives better and our community a better place to live.

They will be missed.

Unsigned editorials are the opinion of the Clovis Media Inc. editorial board, which includes Editor David Stevens and Publisher Rob Langrell.