NEW CANEY, Texas – Richie Ross, 40, was a man of few words with a heart of gold. That is how his mother, Kathy Ross and his sister, Holly Atkins, describe him.
“He was a sweetheart. He was just a sweetheart. He would give you the shirt of his back and do anything for you,” Kathy told KPRC 2 reporter Corley Peel.
“If there was something that needed to be done, he was going to make sure that it was done. It didn’t matter if you were a friend, family or stranger that’s just who he was as a person,” Atkins said.
On Monday, he did what he knows best. Ross jumped on his tractor alongside his friend, Brian, and the two began helping clean up the neighborhood during a break from Beryl.
“We had already went down and cleared the roads that way and were coming back this way, and as I pass by and I’m sitting here, I see phone lines, or power lines coming down. I look back and the tree had fell. I thought he was on the other side of the tree,” Brian said.
The tree fell on top of Ross, taking his life.
“It’s like, it’s not real. It’s like this can’t be real. A parent doesn’t’ want to outlive their child,” Kathy said.
Brian said Ross’ passion for helping others will never be unnoticed.
“He would help anyone. He was just that guy, an all-around guy. Everyone loved him,” Brian said.
“In times like this where you do not understand why something happens. There’s always so much more. I just find peace in knowing God is in control everything and even the worse situations can turn into something so beautiful and there is so many blessings that we have already experienced from the community.” Atkins said.