John Raymond Gross
Burial Details
Obituaries
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 3D - February 12, 2012
John Raymond Gross, 97,
Grand Junction, died Feb. 7,
2012, at Grand Villa.
Services are pending with
Callahan-Edfast Mortuary.
He was a lifetime scholar.
Survivors include his wife,
Marian; one son, John R. of
Grand Junction; one daughter,
Janice Gray of Denver; three
grandchildren; and five greatgrandchildren.
Memorial contributions to
Hospice & Palliative Care of
Western Colorado, 3090B North
12th Street, Grand Junction
81506.
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 8A - February 15, 2012
John Raymond Gross, was born
in Grand Junction, CO on October
23, 1914. His family settled
in the Grand Valley in the late
1880’s, a fact of which he was
very proud. Many times he
would remark that he was born at
1102 Belford.
He attended Grand Junction
High School and was graduated from Rifle High School in 1932.
In 1942, John accepted employment at the US Vanadium Mine
near Biship, CA, where he met his future wife Marian Shaffer.
Marian was the love of his life, and after a whirlwind romance, they
were married three months later, on August 10, 1945 in Reno NV.
They spent the next 66 years together, and Marian was with John
when he passed.
In 1946, John and Marian made the decision to return to Grand
Junction to the up-and-coming Redlands. John had a desire to work
with his sister, Violet Patterick, in a business that she and her husband
were starting.
During the 1980s, John and Marian purchased Healthway Health
Foods. During the years that followed, John developed an unbridled
curiosity concerning nutrition, natural remedies, and any
cutting-edge theory regarding health.
John’s curiosity led him to a number of different groups and pastimes.
He was a member of the Redlands Lions Club, Barbershoppers,
20 – 30 Mens Club, Master Gardeners, and Methodist Men’s
Club. He loved travel, singing, gardening, geology, cars, learning
new things, and general tinkering.
He is survived by his wife, Marian, of 66 years; their daughter, Jan
(Skip Gray); their son, Dick (Paula) Gross; three grandsons, Darrell
Gross, Sean Gray, and Aaron Gray; and five great-grandchildren,
Alek, Alexis, Miles, Ella and Maxine June.
Our Papa John lived his life demonstrating family inclusion, deep
friendships, and life-long pursuit of the “why” of things.
A graveside memorial will be held at Grand Junction Memorial
Gardens on February 17, 2012 at 11:00 am. There will be a time of
fellowship with the family at First United Methodist Church, following
the graveside memorial. Memorial contributions can be
made to Alpine Hospice, 2764 Compass Drive, Suite 110, Grand
Junction, CO in lieu of flowers.
