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Larry Gross
Lawrence "Larry" T. Gross, 75, of Mountain Home, passed away Thursday, Oct. 28, 2010, at his home.
A memorial service was held on Monday, Nov. 1, at Rost Funeral Home, McMurtrey Chapel in Mountain Home.
Larry, the youngest of four, was born on March 10, 1935, in Weiser, Idaho, to Franklin and Ila Mae Gross.
He began his career at age 14 as a bellhop for Washington Hotel.
On May 17, 1952 Lawrence married Mary Ellen Rothley in Weiser. Together they raised two sons, a job that was not easy if you know Craig and Larry Dean.
Larry moved on to work at AC Houston Lumberyard where he was transferred out to Mountain Home in 1960 to help open a new store for the company. That led to a successful 45-year career as a wholesale hardware salesman for both Basche-Sage Hardware and Jensen-Byrd, a job he grew to love.
He took pride in his work and won many awards.
Anyone that has seen Larry's garage knows he is the "go to" location for anything hardware related and he fully outfitted at least three garages.
He enjoyed bowling, rafting, camping, hunting and fishing with his friends and family, playing games with anyone he could beat and spoiling his grandchildren.
He has been a long-standing member of the Mountain Home Elks Lodge #2276.
In recent years he enjoyed daily McDonald's morning meetings with his friends where they could harass the help over a cup of coffee and solve the world's problems, if only anyone would listen.
Family was always important and he traveled everywhere his family lived.
They didn't make it easy, causing him to travel to Turkey, New Zealand and his grandson's wedding in Hawaii.
Larry touched the lives of many people and is remembered as a fun-loving and quick-witted man who loved to give those he loved a hard time.
Laughter came easily to him and those around him.
His grandchildren remember him as the grandpa who loved to wrestle and wouldn't stop tickling until tears came to their eyes.
His sons remember him as a parent who was impossible to sneak past after breaking curfew and raising havoc in the town.
And his wife remembers him as her soulmate.
He passed away with style, as he lived his life. He waited until he was surrounded by all his immediate family and then passed into the next world, with minimal pain and suffering.
He recently said he lived well and was prepared for the next step.
We cherish every moment we had with Larry but we know he is in a better place now.
Larry is survived by his wife, Mary Ellen, of Mountain Home, his son Craig Gross and Lyn Piper of Boise, his son Larry and his wife, Karen, of Escondido, Calif., a brother, Leon, of Pendleton, Ore., a sister, Luella, and her husband, Austin Wise, of Weiser, grandson Shane and his wife, Jennifer, granddaughter Gwenda and her husband, Kelly Marich, and their children, Brynna and Sydney.
He was preceded in death by both his parents and his brother, Clyde.
The family requests that memorial contributions can be made to the Mountain States Tumor Institute, Health Foundation, 190 E. Bannock, Boise, ID 83712.