Virginia Denise Ross, 80, passed away peacefully at her home in Oklahoma City on the morning of Tuesday, May 26, 2026. She is now free of earthy burdens and rides on where the mountains meet the sky and love never fades. Services are scheduled for 11:00 AM on Friday, May 29th, in the Kincannon Memorial Chapel with Dave Wallace officiating. Burial will follow at Blair Cemetery.

Affectionately known as Denise, she was born in Eldorado, Oklahoma, on July 23, 1945, to J.C. and Cathryn Ozelma (Cain) Fowler. One of five siblings, Denise became a mother and caregiver from a young age, especially doting on her youngest sister, Teresa. The two shared a bond like no other, talking every day and spending countless hours together on horse-racing adventures and furniture sale excursions through the years.

Denise married Eddie Young, and to this union one adored child was born, Scott.

Denise was always searching for the next adventure. She loved deeply — both people and animals alike — and gave of herself selflessly to everyone around her. She could read people as well as she could horses, studying pedigrees and meeting others exactly where they were. Along with her strong work ethic and unmatched business sense, these qualities became the driving force behind her success in the furniture business, owning and operating a store in Weatherford, Oklahoma for many years.

A chance meeting at the furniture store led to a friendship with Johnny Wesley Ross. After several years, Johnny put his larger-than-life personality on full display and asked Denise to be his bride. The pair married on March 3, 1989, and together they made their home in the Oklahoma City area. They traveled extensively, working in furniture sales and enjoying sightseeing along the way to their next racetrack adventure. Johnny adored Denise, and in her final months, he remained constantly by her side, serving as her faithful companion and caregiver when she was no longer able to leave the house.

A devoted lover of animals, Denise was an accomplished horse trainer who dominated the AQHA World Championship Shows during the mid-1990s. She believed animals carried the same emotions as humans, often making sure her dogs were fed the finest steaks and that the horses’ water troughs were scrubbed clean daily. She could pick pedigrees like no other, and you never bet against her at the racetrack.

Denise was generous, intelligent, gifted, and fiercely loyal. Gift-giving was her love language, and she shared it freely with everyone she knew. Sensitive and vulnerable, she carried every emotion and every connection with her throughout her life. Though she never truly realized how beautiful she was or how sharp her business instincts were, she would fight relentlessly for the people she loved.

She was preceded in death by her parents, J.C. and Cathryn; and sister, DonEllen Brinkman. Denise is now running horses in Ruidoso and Santa Fe and riding the trails in Talihina with her great-grandson, Beckham Scott Braun and beloved nephews, Jesse Cade Farr and Jake Heath Holsey Butchee — the wind in their hair and the mountains stretching endlessly before them.

Her memory lives on in her husband of 37 years, Johnny; beloved son, Scott Young and wife, Deanna; siblings, Kenneth Fowler and wife, Georgetta, Darsi Christensen, and Teresa Butchee and husband, Chuck; grandchildren, Danette Albright and husband, Michael (Winston and Eleanor), Meagan Braun and husband, David, and Kristen Souter and husband, Daniel (Brodie Souter and Johnny Souter); step-grandchildren, Bailey Padron (Tatum Bettelyon, Talis Padron, Stella Padron), Brittani Randall and husband, Matthew (Brayden Cass, Tyson Randall, Cade Randall, Harper Brow), and Tayler Blake; an abundance of adored nieces, nephews, and great nieces and nephews; and many friends.

The service livestream may be viewed at https://together.oneroomstreaming.com/NMC3SX. Online memorial tributes and expressions of sympathy may be left for the family at www.kincannonfuneralhome.com.