Lorraine Gross
1935 - 2015
Lorraine Marie Gross, beloved wife of the late Albert Gross, passed away in Taber on Wednesday, December 9, 2015 at the age of 80 years.
Relatives and friends were invited to Prayers at Southland Funeral Chapel, 5006 - 48 Avenue, Taber on Tuesday, December 15, 2015 at 7:00 P.M.
The Funeral Mass was celebrated at St. Augustine’s Catholic Church, 5009 - 48 Avenue, Taber on Wednesday, December 16, 2015 at 11:00 A.M. A private burial followed at the Taber Memorial Garden so that Lorraine could be laid to rest surrounded by her family.
Lorraine is survived by her children Brenda (Gary) Corns of Grassy Lake, Fred (Jodie) Gross of Taber, Tim (Bev) Gross of Stirling and Sherry Gross of Lethbridge; Grandchildren Brodie (Kerry) Gross, Colton Gross (Jenny Waugh), Melissa Corns, Whitney Corns, Sydney Lu Gross, Kaden Gross and great granddaughter Kinley Gross. She is also survived by her sisters Helen Schmidt, Tillie (Matt) Thomas as well as by numerous nieces and nephews.
She was predeceased by her husband Albert Gross, parents Jenny and Andrew Gross, infant brother William and brother-in-law George Schmidt.
Lorraine was born in Lethbridge on November 19, 1935 to Jenny (nee Klein) and Andrew Gross. She grew up south of Grassy Lake, attending Deer Park and Chamberlain schools. She met Albert Gross at a young age and they were married in 1956. Lorraine was an integral part of the family farm, always managing to keep things running behind the scenes. Together, Lorraine and Albert raised four children, Brenda, Fred, Tim and Sherry.
In 1976, Lorraine and Albert closed the farm chapter of their life and moved to town to “retire”. She joined the work force alongside her sister Tillie at the Fields store in Taber. After working there for several years, she settled into her new full time career as Gramma. Her first grandson Brodie appeared in 1987. Next came Melissa, followed by Whitney and Colton. A few years later, Sydney came along and finally Kaden in 2005. Much to Lorraine’s delight, a GREAT granddaughter, Kinley appeared in 2014.
All of the grandchildren were an absolute joy to Lorraine and she took great pleasure in spoiling each and every one of them. The kids have countless shared memories of the many little things that Gramma always did for them - Avon bubble baths until every finger and toe was wrinkled, chocolate cake for breakfast, 10AM teen burgers at A&W after swimming lessons and hair-dos for dance that were so tight you couldn’t close your eyes all the way.
Lorraine enjoyed spending time with those most important to her, her family and friends, and the house in town became the hub of many gatherings. The kitchen was a busy place in the Gross household and nobody ever left Lorraine’s home hungry! Her countertops were typically overflowing with any number of baked goodies and it was a great challenge to ever fit anything extra in the fridge. The grandkids could always count on finding all that ‘good’ food their parents wouldn’t buy hiding in grandmas cupboards, including enough blue kool-aid to make your insides glow.
Lorraine devoted her life to caring for others. Most significantly in the care of her youngest daughter Sherry, following a brain injury in 1989. She was always interested in what everyone was doing, supported all of us in anything we did and her love was unconditional. She had the most beautiful gift of always seeing the best in those around her.
Lorraine’s faith life was also an important part of who she was. She was dedicated to her commitment as a Catholic. She was a devoted member of St. Augustine’s Parish in Taber and was an active Catholic Women's League member during her early married years in Grassy Lake. Even in the final days of her illness, she would participate in Mass at Linden View, praying and singing along.
Lorraine will be sadly missed by all those who knew her. She has answered her call to come home and is reunited with all those that she loved and that have gone before her. We can be thankful that her burden has been lifted and we know that she is smiling down on all of us from above.
She will be sadly missed, and we KNOW she is dancing the night away to the music of the angels.
If friends so desire, memorial tributes in Lorraine’s name may be made directly to the Brain Canada Foundation, 1200 McGill College Avenue, Suite 1600, Montréal, Québec H3B 4G7 (braincanada.ca) or to the Good Samaritan Society (Linden View), 4700 - 64 Avenue, Taber, Alberta T1G 0C6 (www.gss.org).