Wayne Anthony Ross

Feb 25, 1943 -

Apr 18, 2026

Wayne Anthony Ross, otherwise known as WAR to many in Alaska and around the country, died peacefully in Anthem, Ariz., on April 18, 2026.

Wayne was born in West Allis, Wis., on Feb. 25, 1943. After graduating from Marquette University High School in Milwaukee, Wis., Wayne attended University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee for his undergraduate degree and Marquette University for his Juris Doctor degree. In summer 1967, just before his last year in law school, he drove the Alcan Highway in a 1961 Volkswagen Beetle with a close friend. He found work as a law clerk for a local attorney for the summer and immediately fell in love with the Last Frontier. He returned to Milwaukee after the summer and fell in love with another beauty, Barbara L. Froelich. Wayne and Barbara were married in June 1968, and drove to Alaska four days after their wedding in a brand new 1968 Chevrolet Chevelle station wagon to start a life together in the Far North.

Wayne's first job in Alaska was as an Assistant Attorney General in the Alaska Department of Law. After a short while, he transitioned to become the Standing Master of the Family Court and Court Trustee. While WAR enjoyed his public legal duties, he decided to enter private practice in 1973. WAR eventually opened his own law office in October 1977, at the same time as he and Barbara moved into their new home on the Anchorage Hillside, which came to be known as "Blackacre."

Over the next five decades, WAR epitomized the ideals of Theodore Roosevelt's "The Man in the Arena" and became a larger than life figure "spending himself in a worthy cause" - in the legal system, in politics and in the public eye. In addition to practicing family law, Wayne was a voracious reader and author, writing regular columns for the Alaska Bar Rag and the Anchorage Times. He ran spirited grassroots campaigns for Governor of Alaska twice, both times coming close to clinching the Republican ticket. A passionate defender of the Second Amendment, WAR served on the NRA Board of Directors from 1980 until his death - rising to serve as second Vice President during the late 1980s - and testified on the right to keep and bear arms before Congress and the Alaska Legislature. As an avid gun collector, WAR organized the Alaska Gun Collectors Association. A true American patriot, WAR accepted a commission from the Governor in the Alaska State Defense Force and rose to the rank of Colonel. He also served on the Board and as Chairman of the Armed Services YMCA. During the Palin administration, WAR served as the Alaska Attorney General for two weeks. WAR loved being referred to as "General" especially in front of those in the Legislature who voted for his defeat. In 2012, WAR published his first book titled "Courtrooms, Cartridges, and Campfires: Lawyering on the Last Frontier" in which he relates many of his stories of rugged individualism in his early years in Alaska and providing answers to the question "What is a nice boy from Wisconsin doing in a place like Alaska?"

Active in the Anchorage Catholic community and a vocal advocate for the unborn, Wayne was a founding member of the Alaska Right to Life and served on its Board for decades. Wayne's exemplary service to the Church resulted in the Vatican installing him as a Knight in the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. A man of integrity and high moral character, Wayne was also well known for his signature red Hummer and his WAR plates.

Alive with the frontier spirit, WAR spent many days and nights afield, chasing big game and fish and enjoying God's creation. He went on his last hunt in September 2019, at age 76 years old, taking a beautiful Delta bull bison surrounded by his wife and children. WAR especially loved family time at his lodge on Tyone Lake and spent many hours playing poker and sheepshead late into the evening winning money from his friends, children and grandchildren, and telling tall tales.

Wayne is predeceased by his first wife, Barbara, to whom he was married for 44 years. In 2015, after a couple years as a bachelor, Wayne married the second love of his life, Virginia "Ginny" Brown, whom he met through a mutual friend. Wayne and Ginny maintained homes in Alaska and Arizona and enjoyed time with each other's families and friends as often as possible. Wayne is survived by Ginny; four children, Greg (Patty), Brian (Tracy), Tim (Nikki) and Amy; and 10 grandchildren. Wayne's sole surviving sibling, his older sister Kay, lives in California.

Viewing is from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday, June 4, 2026 at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, 2901 East Huffman Road in Anchorage, Alaska, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 1 p.m. A reception at O'Malley's on the Green, 3651 O'Malley Road, will follow the Mass. A private interment will be at the Anchorage Cemetery at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Alzheimer's Resource Alaska, 1750 Abbott Road, Anchorage, AK 99507.