Pinnie L. Ross, a native of North Carolina and the youngest of 10 children born to Sylvester and Annie Jordan-Staton, passed on to glory Aug. 4 at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. Her siblings and their spouses, Albert, Jesse (Sissy), John (Verna), Louis (Carrie), Ella (Buck) Ebron, Ada Pearl, Nancy (William) Beckett, Magnora (William) Hyman and Rosa (Richard Shaw) predeceased her.
She attended North Carolina public school, graduating from Bethel High School. She also graduated from the Baltimore Academy of Modeling, the Christine Volmer School of Make Up Artists and Esthetics and the New Millinery school. Pinnie attended St. Augustine College in Raleigh, N.C., which conferred the Doctor of Humane Letter Honoris Causa at its 2005 convocation for her 50-plus years of dedicated church and community service. Her motto was, “if I can help somebody as I pass along, then my living will not be in vain.”
Pinnie and her family moved to Columbia, Md., from Catonsville, Md., in 1968. She was a founding member of the Church of St. John the Evangelist-Baptist, now known as ST. John Baptist Church, in 1970. She served her church in numerous capacities, including work as the president of the choir, member of the board of managers and publicist.
While in Catonsville she began writing a social column for the AFRO called “Catonsville Pot Pourri” and continued her column “Columbia Capers” for a span of more than 45 years. After completing her millinery studies in 1959, she began marketing her creations through fashion and hat shows in churches and to women’s clubs throughout the Baltimore-Washington region. Her theme was, “The Hat Tops the Total You.”
In 1960 she founded Pinnie’s Charm Studio, which trained young ladies in social graces and sponsored her involvement as executive producer of Maryland Talented Teens, an affiliate of the Hal Jackson’s Talented Teens International competition.
Pinnie is a charter member of the Baltimore-Washington area and Columbia chapters of Jack and Jill of America, the National Council of Negro Women, National Association of Negro Professional and Business Women’s Club, the Links, Pierians, Club DeJouir and the Coalition of 100 Black Women. She has been recognized by a number of civic organizations.
Pinnie is survived by her husband of 58 years, William A. Ross Sr., children William, Rae and Dion; grandchildren Shanelle K. Ross, Britney L. Sandifer, Rebecca E. Ross and William A. Ross III and great grandchild Zion Comer Norwood. She also leaves behind a host of in-laws, cousins, nephews, nieces, friends, former students, Talented Teens and associates throughout the country.