William ‘Bill’ Gross, 84


November 13, 2008 · Updated 9:48 PM 

  • 0
  • Print Story
  • Letter/Editor

William “Bill” Gross died Nov. 6, 2008 at home from a heart attack. The Bremerton resident was 84.

He was born in Yoncalla, Ore., an only child of William and Maude Gross. He graduated from Yoncalla High School in 1942 and soon after moved to Bremerton to start an electrician apprentice program at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (PSNS). During this time, Bill also served in the Navy in the South Pacific during World War II. Finishing military service, he returned to work at PSNS for the next 36 years, retiring as an electrical supervisory equipment specialist.

Bill met and fell in love with Lorraine Shelly of Bremerton and they were married in 1948. They enjoyed spending time at “the lake” and later traveling in their RV. When at home, Bill was always watching sports on his big screen TV.

He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Lorraine; their three children, Julie Ann (Ray) Danielson of Silverdale, Bill (Rise) Gross of Poulsbo and Roger Gross of Sequim; four grandchildren Will (Marie) Gross of Port Orchard, Christina Gross of Poulsbo, Matthew Gross of Poulsbo and Michael Gross who is presently serving a mission in Phoenix for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; two great-grandchildren Isabella Gross and Wil (Liam) Gross of Port Orchard.

He truly exemplified all of the values of the greatest generation. His word was his bond. If he said it, it was done. He will be truly missed.

A private graveside will be held. Friends and family are respectfully invited to attend a memorial from 2 to 5 p.m. today, Saturday, Nov. 15 at Sylvan Pines Clubhouse, located at 3541 Sylvan Pines Lane in Bremerton.

An online guestbook is available at www.cookfamilyfuneralhome.com.

Comment on this story.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.

So keep your comments:

  • Civil
  • Smart
  • On-topic
  • Free of profanity

We ask that all participants own their words by logging in with their Facebook account. It's a simple process that will take seconds and helps keep our comments free of trolls, cranks, and “drive-by” commenters. We reserve the right to remove comments from anyone using screen names, pseudonyms or false identities. Please refer to our Terms of Use for full detail on participating on our site.

blog comments powered by Disqus