Gussie LaVaughn Ross

Gussie LaVaughn Ross Pickens, South Carolina Gussie LaVaughn Ross, 80, passed away on July 8, 2024, after several years of declining health. Miss Ross was born on October 28, 1943, and was the daughter of the late William A. “Gus” Ross and Flora Aiken Ross of Rocky Bottom, SC. She graduated Pickens High School in 1961 and entered Anderson Memorial Hospital School of Nursing, beginning a nursing career that ultimately spanned over four decades. She first worked at Anderson Memorial Hospital and later at Duke University, where she assisted with multiple kidney transplants in the pioneer years of transplant operations. She spent most of her adult life living in Stone Mountain, GA, serving as a charge nurse at Grady Memorial Hospital in downtown Atlanta, opening the HIV/AIDS floor in the late 1980s and then moving to the Tuberculosis unit until her retirement. She had a special connection with the local homeless population near the main hospital and took extensive lengths to care for their physical and other needs, earning a special recognition from Georgia legislators in 1985 for her work with the poor and needy. She was beloved by her colleagues and patients for her exceptional knowledge and care and remained on the Grady staff until her retirement in December 2005. She never married and had no biological children, but “Aunt Von” helped raise a whole army of “younguns” in her lifetime. Her nieces, nephews, and their children and grandchildren (and anyone else who came along with them) were privileged to hear her belly laughs and her stories about the crazy happenings in an inner-city hospital. She loved flea markets and thrifting and always brought “blessings,” as she called them, and you could count on a special treat every time she came home from Georgia. Miss Ross is survived by her brother, Roy Ross, of Easley, and her sister and caregiver, Sandra Anderson (Gary), with whom she lived for the past ten years. She also leaves behind her special, beloved friends, “Grandma” Sara Lewis and Monzel Anderson. She was preceded in death by her parents, her infant nephew, Jason Roy Ross, and her sister-in-law, Carolyn Ross. She is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews: Angela Dalton (Spencer), Shana Dalton (Jason), Jonathan Anderson (Sadie), Alex Simmons (Stacy), Rev. Justin Anderson (Katie), Jessica Landers (Kyle); great-nieces and nephews: Storie Edwards, Joey Dalton, Chloe Dalton, Kinsley and Audrey Kate Simmons, Andy, Gracey, Willy, Evonne (Evie), Truman, Maisy, and Walker Anderson, and Ayken, Mack, and Vallie Landers; and great-great nephews: Braylon and Braxton Edwards, all of whom regard her as a second mother and a vital part of their upbringing. She will be fondly remembered and greatly missed. Visitation will be held on Friday, July 12, 2024, from 1:00 PM until 2:00 PM in the chapel of Mountain View Funeral Home in Pickens with funeral services to follow at 2:00 PM. Burial will follow the service in Rocky Bottom Baptist Church Cemetery in Sunset. The family especially wishes to thank Jennifer and Tina from her Prisma Hospice Care team. Flowers will be accepted or memorials can be made to Gideons’ International, Shriner’s Hospital in Greenville, and the Prisma Health Children's Hospital-Upstate in Greenville, SC. Mountain View Funeral Home – Pickens Chapel is serving the Ross family.

Gussie LaVaughn Ross

October 28, 1943 - July 8, 2024