Ross Gorman, right, and his brother John in a photo taken in the 1950s.
Image Credit: Contributed/Gorman Bros. Lumber Ltd.
October 19, 2014 - 12:09 PM
WEST KELOWNA – The co-founder of the Gorman Brothers lumber mill West Kelowna has died. Ross Gorman was 93.
West Kelowna mayor Doug Findlater says he heard the news at the West Kelowna Warriors game Saturday night and was shocked.
“Ross, in every sense of the word, was a gentleman. He was very, very kindly when you talked to him,” he says. “It’s very sad and a big loss to our community.”
Findlater says Ross struggled with Parkinson’s disease in recent years, but he was still going into the office.
He adds the Gorman story is incredible.
Ross and his brother John started making fruit boxes in the 1950’s when their orchard was destroyed by frost, according to the company’s website. Gorman Brothers has gone on to become the community’s largest employer operated by Ross’s son Ron Gorman.
“I think there are over 300 families that rely on that business for a pay cheque,” Findlater says.
Ross was was predeceased by his brother John in 2002.
Details about a memorial service have yet to be released.
To contact the reporter for this story, email Howard Alexander at halexander@infonews.ca or call 250-491-0331. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2014