08/18/2026
It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of Dr. Gerry Ross, the founder of Queen Street Dental, after a brief but courageous battle with cancer.
Gerry came to Tottenham in 1973 and never left. Over the next fifty years he built our practice and treated thousands of people in this town — parents, then their kids, then their grandkids. If you grew up around here, there's a good chance Gerry looked after your teeth, knew your family, and asked about them by name.
He wasn't just our town's dentist. He was as much part of this community as anyone.
You would be hard pressed to find a single person who didn't like Gerry. Patients, staff, colleagues, friends, family — it didn't matter. He was instantly likable, immediately connected with everyone, and he had a kind of energy that filled a room the moment he walked into it. If you ever met Gerry you would never forget him.
Gerry was also a remarkable clinician. His clinical skill was only outmatched but his endless compassion, his storytelling and exceptional gift for conversation that put even the most nervous of patients at ease. A pioneer in laser dentistry who lectured on it around the world and published numerous articles, chapters and books around it, Gerry never stopped learning, right to the end. But that isn't what any of us will miss most.
Gerry was the best boss any of us have ever had. Some of the people still working in this office stood beside him for twenty, thirty, forty, even fifty years — and that tells you everything you need to know about the kind of man he was to work for. He was selfless, fair and had a way of making everyone appreciated and taken care of. He walked in every morning with a smile, and in all those years none of us can remember him having a single bad day, a truly remarkable feat when practicing dentistry.
For me and Dr. Donatelli, he was a mentor and friend in the truest sense. He handed me his life's work and trusted me with it, and he never once made me feel like I owed him for it. Everything I know about how to look after patients — and how to look after the people you work with — I learned from watching Gerry do it.
He lived his life full of curiosity and adventure. He loved his golf, travelled the world , and he cared for the people around him with an energy the rest of us could only try to keep up with.
And in his final days, he faced things the way he had faced everything else — on his own terms, with remarkable strength and character, with enormous grace and gratitude for a life full of love, joy, laughter and adventure surrounded by all of us who loved him. He made sure he told each and everyone of us, family and friends, how much he cherished all the moments we spent together. If the old cliche "they don't make them like that anymore" applies to anyone it would be Gerry. He truly was a remarkable man.
We are eternally grateful to Gerry for the immense impact he had on our lives, on our office and our patients, and on the Tottenham community and beyond.
Our love goes out to his wife Jill and his daughters Sara and Alana.
If Dr. Ross was your dentist, or your friend, we would love for you to share a memory or short note about him below. We could use them right now, and so could his family.
Thank you, Gerry. For the practice, for the patients, and for showing all of us how it's done. You will forever be in our hearts and will always continue to honour your legacy .
— Dr. Elvis Filo, Dr. Tony Donatelli and the Queen Street Dental family
