In Memoriam : Rossiter Drake
Rossiter Thomas Benjamin Drake - age: 34
(January 23, 1977 to January 13, 2012 ) Resident of Alameda, California Visitation Information: A Funeral Mass will be held at 10am on Monday, January 23 at St. Matthew Church, 216 Scribner Ave. Norwalk, with burial to follow at St. John cemetery, Norwalk. His family will receive friends on Sunday from 4 to 8pm at the Magner Funeral Home, 12 Mott Avenue, Norwalk. Contributions in his name may be sent to Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio, and directed to the Oberlin Review, of which Ross was once editor, or to the Parkinson's Disease Foundation. Obituary: Rossiter Thomas Benjamin Drake, age 34, died of an apparent heart attack at his home in Alameda, CA, on Friday, January 13. He was the son of Rossiter J. Drake and Enes (Bucciarelli) Drake of Norwalk, and the brother of Shana L. Drake of Brighton, MA. Ross attended Fox Run elementary school in Norwalk and was a graduate of Greens Farms Academy and Oberlin College, where he majored in English and minored in film studies. After interning at Entertainment Weekly in New York City, he moved to California, where he freelanced for newspapers and websites around the country, including The Hour. For the past several years he has been the principle film critic of the San Francisco Examiner and a member of the San Francisco Film Critics Circle. As a feature writer, he had one-on-one interviews with movie figures including Robert Redford and Woody Allen, and most recently with directors Cameron Crowe ("We Bought a Zoo") and Pedro Almodovar ("The Skin I Live In") and actor Max von Sydow ("Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close"). His editor at the Examiner, Leslie Katz, reports that he was widely respected, by publicists and subjects alike, for his thorough preparation and intelligent questions, as well as his obvious love of movies. His film preferences were wide-ranging. He could be enthusiastic about a well-made D-movie slasher film as well as personal favorites such as Ingmar Bergman's "Fanny and Alexander" and Woody Allen's "Crimes and Misdemeanors." Away from the theaters, he was a passionate fan of all teams Boston, especially the Red Sox, a lifelong loyalty passed down from his great-grandfather to his grandfather to his father to him. One of his most joyful moments came in 2004, when the Sox won their first World Series in 86 years and he walked through downtown San Francisco in his team jersey, happily accepting the congratulations of strangers. "This is the Ross i remember," wrote another film critic, Omar P.L. Moore. "He was funny and forthright. You always knew where you stood with him, something I like very much in people. Ross would never shine you on. He was a genuine man. And he loved his aisle seat." A Funeral Mass will be held at 10am on Monday, January 23 at St. Matthew Church, 216 Scribner Ave. Norwalk, with burial to follow at St. John cemetery, Norwalk. His family will receive friends on Sunday from 4 to 8 pm at the Magner Funeral Home, 12 Mott Avenue, Norwalk. Contributions in his name may be sent to Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio, and directed to the Oberlin Review, of which Ross was once editor, or to the Parkinson's Disease Foundation. |
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Aimee Felker - January 17, 2012  Contact this person
Our hearts go out to Enes, Ross and Shana at this very sad time.
Knowing that Ross didn't suffer is the only solace I can find in the news of Ross' untimely death.
I can think of nothing worse than the loss of one's child and hope that Enes and Ross find strength in knowing how much they are loved now, how much Ross loved them (and the Red Sox!), and how we our love for them and Ross remains strong. --Aimee, Christopher + Will Felker
Sunny Turner - January 18, 2012 Contact this person
My love and condolences to the Drake family. This is absolutely heartbreaking news... the world has lost an amazing and talented man. I am so, so sorry. Thinking of you during these terrible times. --Sunny Turner
Nikhil Ramchandani - January 19, 2012 Contact this person
My warm condolences to the Drake family for Ross's untimely passing. I have many fond memories of Ross from our days at GFA. His personality and opinions were memorable, and overall good humor often left me in good spirits. Warm wishes during this sad time.
Nancy McCarthy - February 7, 2012 Contact this person
My heartfelt condolences to Ross's family. Ross and I knew each other for 8 years. He always made me laugh, I'll truly miss our conversations. He was warm, kind and generous, and will be missed from the far reaches of Nova Scotia, Canada.
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