Ross Nyman Brudenell

Apr 8, 1942 -

Apr 22, 2026

Ross Nyman Brudenell was a man of passions and contradictions who lived across the boundaries of time. A romantic who often lost himself in a home project or a distraction, Ross wrote daily in leather journals, devoured history books and classic literature, and collected 17th and 18th century Americana and houses. But he also embraced modernity and technology: Ross was a pilot, a gadget guy and an orthopedic surgeon. He was so soft-spoken that we were compelled to lean in to hear him; and yet, he loved to tell stories and talk to folks from all walks of life.

Ross was born on April 8, 1942, in Knoxville, Tenn., and grew up with his two younger brothers in Chattanooga. He stayed in Tennessee for undergraduate and medical school. During the Vietnam War, the young doctor was offered a position in Alaska with the U.S. Public Health Service working with native communities in Sitka, where he fell in love with the state.

After returning to the south to do his orthopedic surgical residency in North Carolina, Ross relocated for a while to Longmont, Colo., with his young family. But years later, Alaska beckoned again and he moved to Anchorage, where he joined an orthopedic practice. He spent much of his adult life living in a First Period Plymouth Colony house he moved in pieces from Massachusetts to Campbell Lake in Anchorage, a house he adored and furnished with period antiques. It is the oldest house in Alaska.

Ross would later get his pilot's license and install a lift for his Cessna 185 float plane in his backyard. Sometimes with family and friends, sometimes alone, Ross embarked on countless adventures to fish, hunt and explore in the Alaska wild to places like Katmai, King Salmon, and Eagle. He would fly the plane to remote locales to pick blueberries, and fish for salmon on the Kenai River where he once had a log cabin in Sterling, on Funny River Road.

When Ross was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2018, he and his wife, Jackie, moved to Green Bay, Wis., to be closer to family. Ross passed away peacefully on April 22, 2026. He is survived by his wife, Jackie Robinson; children, Lisa, Ayn Altman (Mark Santora), Lalla Robinson, Katie Dubois (Brent), Steve (Victoria Fanslow) and Jordan; and grandchildren, Silvarina and Josefina, Adler and Audrey, and Benjamin and Brooks. His is also survived by his brothers, Tom (Lynn Sibley) and Bill (Ingrid), and his nieces and nephews. He will be missed by all who knew him and loved him.

A memorial service will be held on June 27, 2026, at 11 a.m., at Wequiock Presbyterian Church, 4014 Wequiock Road in Green Bay. A full obituary and online condolences can be found at www.PfotenhauerFuneralHome.com.