Ross James Summers - Obituary

oss James Summers, age 86, who worked 30 years for the Internal Revenue Service before retiring in 1986 as executive assistant to the director of the planning division, died peacefully in his home in Ft. Washington, MD on November 26, 2018. Mr. Summers was a native of Kansas and a graduate of Fort Hays State College. After obtaining his law degree from the University of Kansas, he joined the IRS in Wichita and, after two years, was transferred to IRS headquarters in Washington. His first assignment there was to rewrite a text and other training materials for estate and gift tax examiners, and he subsequently assisted in writing and updating training texts on income and excise tax law. After a few years he was asked to join the office of planning and research, where he served as a senior staff officer with various job titles. In retirement, Mr. Summers volunteered with community, hobby and tennis groups, and served as the first president of a property owners association that he helped establish for vacation residences in Sundance Forest near Broadway, VA. He was divorced from his first wife, Nancy Barta Duykers, in 1970 after 14 years of marriage. Survivors include his wife of 48 years, Betty Lou Summers; a daughter from his first marriage, Denise Segreti of Churchton, MD; a stepdaughter, Jenny de Lozier of Chevy Chase; one brother; two grandchildren, Sean and Deanna; and two step-grandchildren, Emilie and Sarah.