Carolyn and Elliot Ross dedicated hours of work each year to their flower gardens. Curb appeal and budding blooms were cover for precious moments shared by college sweethearts who relished the respite from the busyness of careers and raising a family.
With their kids grown and leading busy lives of their own, the color and life of flowers were a wonderful enhancement to their lives. When a rare lung disease stole Carolyn after fifty years of marriage, gardens became a reminder where memories of her flourished and ultimately inspired a one-of-a-kind intersection of engineering, architecture, agriculture, and art.
(mh=9piP2Z3tMgW6Ryx_)0.jpg "Babes Fontana")
Their courtship began during their sophomore years at Ohio State. He lived in Haverfield House. She lived in Barret House. An empty seat on the ski lift was an invitation for Elliot to get to know Carolyn before they began their respective descents. As newlyweds, they made Buckeye Village home. Carolyn graduated in and began teaching in Columbus City Schools.
A year later, Elliot wrapped up his combined undergraduate and graduate studies in welding engineering with summa cum laude honors. They eventually had two children, Katie and Doug. Carolyn exuded light, energy and life β the same ingredients she shared with her precious children and homegrown hydrangeas. But the depth of her prolific flower beds did not speak to Elliot until after Carolyn passed away.
Many discussions about how best to memorialized her blossomed into the concept of a living garden. The engineer in Elliot translated that idea into a living sculpture, and his imagination conceptualized a unique structure of illuminated flora representing Carolyn using light, color, energy, and life. Creating a masterpiece that represented the late Carolyn Ross would be a daunting task.
