Arthur Richard "Dick" Gross

Arthur Richard "Dick" Gross of Richland, MI


Dick Gross age 88, died Tuesday morning, October 11, 2016 at Rose Arbor Hospice Residence of Kalamazoo, MI, following a brief illness.

Dick, the son of Arthur W. and Margaret K. (Schmitter) Gross, was born in Milwaukee, WI on June 23, 1928 and moved with his wife Virginia (Ginny) to Richland in September of 2007 from Danville, KY. Community and family were important to Dick and in Richland he found both. Dick was the first of his family to go to college and he greatly valued education. After receiving his BA (1950) from the U Wisconsin he joined the army where his service during the Korean War included teaching. After his discharge, he earned his MBA (1953) from U Wisconsin and began a career in management and labor relations. He was an executive for the Thomson Newspaper Corporation, and was publisher of the Austin (MN) Daily Herald (1966-1969) and the Council Bluffs (IA) Daily Nonpareil (1969-1988). Dick was active in the Iowa Daily Press Association and was awarded the Master Editor-Publisher award (1985) and served as its president (1986).

Dick and Ginny retired to a lake home in Shell Knob, MO and later moved to Danville, KY. While in Danville they enjoyed traveling with Centre College and Elder Hostel programs. Dick was active in Rotary wherever he lived and was a Paul Harris Fellow. He introduced to the Gull Lake Area Rotary Club a project that he helped establish in Danville to provide dictionaries to third graders. He was active in the First Presbyterian Church of Richland and will be sorely missed by the Rummage Sale volunteers there. Dick was passionate about physical fitness and was a regular at the Borgess Fitness Center where he took up yoga in his late 80's. But his true passion in life was his family.

Dick was united in marriage to Virginia Thomson in Rye, NY on September 13, 1952. Along with his wife Ginny, Dick is survived by three daughters, Dr. Katherine (Dr. Gary Mittelbach) Gross of Richland, Anne (Jeff) Allen of Columbus, OH and Elizabeth (Doug Fenn) Gross of Louisville, KY; two sons, Dr. Richard (Laura) Gross of Morgantown, WV and David (Tracy Martin) Gross of East Hardwick, VT; eight grandchildren; a great grandson; and his brother, Philip (Helene) Gross of Phoenix, AZ. Dick was preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Jeanne Kalupa and a brother, Peter Gross.

A Memorial Service to celebrate Dick's life will be held at the First Presbyterian Church of Richland, 8047 Church Street, on Thursday, October 27th at 11:00 a.m. Interment will follow in the Church's Memorial Garden. Family and friends will continue Dick's life celebration with a time of fellowship and luncheon in the Church's Gull Prairie Room immediately following the committal. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Dick's honor may be directed to the Gull Lake Area Rotary Club, P.O. Box 291, Richland, MI 49083 or the W.K. Kellogg Manor House Endowment, 3700 East Gull Lake Drive, Augusta, MI 49012. The Farley Estes Dowdle Funeral Home & Cremation Care, Richland Chapel (269-629-6022) is assisting Dick's family with his arrangements.