Remembering Bob Ross, Former BFO President and Baptist Leader
Dr. Robert “Bob” L. Ross Sr., one of the pillars of Oklahoma Baptist history who helped lead efforts to advance the Gospel and grow Southern Baptist churches across the state for decades, passed away May 31, 2025. He was 88.
Ross served the Lord in various capacities and ministries throughout his lifetime, including 25 years at The Baptist Foundation of Oklahoma (now known as WatersEdge), where he served as the Foundation’s president from 1986 until his retirement in 2002. He also served on various boards with several organizations such as the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, Oklahoma Baptist University, Southern Baptist Convention Foundation, and Association of Baptist Foundation Executives.
Often described as a visionary, an influential leader, a mentor and a faithful servant, Ross was instrumental in influencing policy for the benefit of charitable foundations. He promoted Foundation services and endowment giving to all Oklahoma Baptists. He also led the Foundation to greater distribution to Southern Baptist ministries through the growth of managed trust assets, which increased by more than 200% to $200 million during the sixteen years he served as president.
In 1995, Ross led the Foundation to establish money management accounts for churches, associations, and other Baptist institutions. During that same year, he advocated for the formation of a coalition of charities in the state to monitor and encourage charitable giving. This effort eventually led to the passage of three pieces of legislation, including the Oklahoma Charitable Fiduciary Act in 1997 and the Oklahoma Charitable Gift Annuity Act in 1998. Five years later, the Foundation offered donor advised funds for the first time ever.
Robert Kellogg, who succeeded Ross as president of the Foundation, said the success the organization enjoys today, particularly the number of changed lives and the ministries impacted here in the U.S. and across the globe, came as a direct result of the strong and stable foundation Ross built during his time as president.
“Robert L. Ross was a transformational leader in the history of WatersEdge, establishing the framework and foundation for the ministry services organization we have become. He was proud to be an Oklahoma Baptist, and he infused that pride into our culture. Bob was a man of high integrity. He was authentic and resolute. While he will be missed, his impact and legacy will live on,” Kellogg said.
Before joining the Foundation in 1977, Ross served as a pastor for Baptist churches in both Oklahoma and Texas. He was also a chaplain for the Oklahoma House of Representatives and Oklahoma State Senate. Following his retirement, he served as interim pastor for several Baptist churches in central Oklahoma and wrote “The Two Became One,” a 416-page book commemorating the 100-year anniversary of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma.
“I hope that [Southern Baptists] come away with an appreciation of our heritage, of our history, but I would also hope that we learn from our mistakes. We’re not a perfect people, but we are a people of purpose, and I believe the purpose is holy,” Ross said in an April 1, 2006, interview in The Daily Oklahoman about his book.
In one of his final op-ed pieces leading up to his retirement, Ross summed up his time serving as Foundation president using one simple word: fun.
“During the past 16 years, I have been having fun as president of The Baptist Foundation of Oklahoma. Although, there have been pressures and disappointments along the way, there has never been drudgery. No day has ever been the same. Each day has brought new opportunities for service and a sense of eternal significance about what the Foundation is doing in providing financial resources for ministry, building loans to churches and estate planning for individual donors,” he said. 
Ross graduated in 1955 from Ponca City High School in 1955 and then attended Oklahoma Baptist University, where he received his Bachelor of Arts in 1959. In 1963, he earned a Master of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
OBU honored Ross with the Joe L. Ingram School of Christian Service Award in 1989 and the Outstanding Alumni Achievement Award in 1993. Three years later, OBU conferred on him the Honorary Doctor of Divinity degree.
Ross is survived by Maurine, his loving wife of 67 years; a son, Mike, and his wife, Debbie; a son, Roger, and his wife, Debbie; and a son, Rob, and his wife, Cheryl. He is also survived by six grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren, two nephews, and a niece.
In tribute to Dr. Bob Ross, contributions may be made to the Robert L. and Maurine M. Ross Scholarship Fund via WatersEdge.
By Harve Allen
