RIP: Philanthropist Cathleen McFarlane Ross
Tags: Cathleen McFarlane Ross, death, Jose Lambiet's Page2Live, obit, RIP
| Tuesday 9 February 2010 12:23 pm
Cathleen McFarlane Ross, 1934-2010
Cathleen McFarlane Ross, one of the area’s most generous philanthropists, passed away last night.
Details are still sketchy, but it’s clear her death, at 75, was unexpected.
I’m told Cathleen, who was in the middle of organizing a fundraiser for Haiti, suffered a massive brain hemorrhage at home in Palm Beach Monday morning. She remained unconscious in a hospice for most of the day before she died about 8 p.m.
I met the lady on the charity circuit and quickly found out she was one of the most genuine, fun and unpretentious people in Palm Beach society.
The heiress of a Buffalo, N.Y., steel empire, McFarlane Ross spent winters in Palm Beach and summers in a home in Niagara-on-the-Lake, an art-lovers paradise in Ontario, Canada.
She donated millions to the American Heart Association, The Lord’s Place, Norton Museum and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, among many others.
Cathleen was a character, too.
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Cathleen McFarlane Ross, two weeks ago at home in Palm Beach (Bruce R. Bennett/The Palm Beach Post)
She hatched the idea of holding a fundraiser for earthquake-stricken Haiti by charging people $25 per to watch Sunday’s implosion of a 30-story building across the water from her Worth Avenue mansion. Bloody marys and screwdrivers, and plenty of them, were to be included.
McFarlane Ross was also an accomplished painter. She delighted in copying the masters from pages of magazines or auction catalogs. Her original paintings often depicted pigs. Yes, pigs!
One of McFarlane Ross’ favorite functions was the Highland Fling, a yearly gala to raise cash for the preservation of historic mansions and castles in Scotland. A few years back, she was miffed that Prince Charles failed to send one of his paintings for the Fling’s auction. Charles, she told me, promised her the piece. And that made her wonder if the heir to the British throne had some dislike for Palm Beach’s Scots. So she prompted me to call Buckingham Palace to ask. Charles staff swore that the prince bore no ill feelings toward Cathleen, and sent a jug of 10-year-old Scotch.
Cathleen’s husband, Walter Ross, a permanent fixture at her side, is dealing with funeral arrangements today.
R.I.P., Cathleen.
Read Palm Beach writer Larry Leamer’s tribute here.
What an amazing woman. Just a few weeks ago she donated $10,000 to keep Sacred Heart School alive. I hope her family and friends find comfort and peace during this time.
Any Palm Beacher who recognizes the fun of watching a building across the Lake go ka-blooey….and turns it into a genuine, low overhead fund raiser, not the obscene million dollar ‘feel good’ orgies the well heeled throw at MarALago to ease their own conscious….is okay in my book.
To quote Ernest Borgnine….”You had a lotta guts, lady. A lotta guts.” Rest in peace.
The world is a litte less brighter today.
God bless her.
Condolences to family and friends.
Thank you, Ms. McFarlane for all that you did!
Thank you for all the good work you have done over the year, including recent efforts to help Sacred Heart in LW and upcoming plans for the implosion fundraiser.
To our fellow Scot: It’s hard to believe we were just together for Scottish Sunday 2 short weeks ago at the Royal Poinciana Chapel…donning our “Ross Clan” tartans and you donning your usual warm and friendly smile! Though the pipes have sounded for you much too early, we surely know you’ve been met with the words “Well done my good and faithful servant!” Rest in peace till we meet again!
Goodbye Cathleen, you achieved your goal, you left this world a better place than you found it. What a legacy,
We will miss you.
Steve, Dave & Rod
ms.mcfarlane was one of the last of the old guard palm beachers.
I worked on worth ave. in the 80s. she would take her early morning walk up the ave. she never failed to pause, and greet me with a “Good morning, how are you”
she never met a person that she considered beneath her.
she was a truly great lady.
Never knew u,but from what i have heard thus far u were a beautiful women. and whenever that is lost the world mourns. Beautiful people are hard to find nowa days. I pray for comfort for your family and friends.
Having met Cathleen in the late seventies, I just assumed she would always be there for me. I will truly miss her spirit, possitive outlook and all the amazing things she made happen. Palm Beach and Niagara on the Lake will not be the same.
Cathleen you will forever be in my thoughts.