Please pray for Fr. Dave and his Family

Leonard Carl (Len) Gross was born on July 24, 1939 to Carl & Catherine (Poelma) Gross in Conklin, MI. He
left this world for his heavenly reward, after a 10-month battle with cancer, on Tuesday, January 7,
2020. On May 11, 1973 Len married the love of his life, Roberta (Robbie) Garthe. He leaves behind 3
children: Fr. Dave Gross, Spring Lake, Doug (Tina) Gross, Sun Prairie WI and Cathy (Eric) Buehler of Grand
Rapids, and 9 grandchildren: Jack, Alexandra, Adam & Sara Gross and Claire, Evan, Allie, Jane & Henry
Buehler. Len was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Chuck, and his in-laws, Don & Sue Garthe
and sister-in-law Fran Garthe. He is survived by his siblings: Jerome (Phyllis) Gross, Br. Vincent Gross,
CSC, Bert (Tom) McCarthy, Edna (Jim) May, Diane (Brian) Brouwer and his in-laws, Norma (Joe)
Drasiewski, John Garthe, Donald (Pete) Garthe, Paulette (Grant) Parsons & Peter Garthe, as well as many
nieces & nephews. Len spent 29 years with Kent County Juvenile Court, working as a probation officer,
hearing referee and supervisor of probation staff. He was fortunate to work with a terrific group of
people and truly loved his time there. He was diagnosed with a liver disease in 1986, which began
showing effects in 1997. His illness really progressed in 2001 and forced an early retirement. He was
blessed to receive a liver transplant in January of 2002 at UW Hospital in Madison WI, and his family will
be forever grateful for the new life he was given through the unselfish gift of the donor family and the
expert staff at UW Hospital. Len was given almost 18 more years to enjoy the birth of his 9
grandchildren and traveling. Watching his grandkids grow up was his greatest joy, and they knew that
"Grandpa's candy" was Werthers Original, which he always had in his pocket for them. When you have a
Werthers, think of Len. Len and Robbie were parishioners at St. Stephen Catholic Church for 44 years
and Len was always involved in the church, as a lector, Communion Minister and Usher and numerous
projects in the school. Sports were a big part of his life, and he enjoyed playing softball, golf, cards and,
of course, cheering on the Tigers, Lions, Wolverines, and all Catholic Central sports teams. A rosary will
be prayed for Len at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, with visitation from 5-8 pm at the O'Brien-Gerst Funeral Home,
3980 Cascade Road SE, Grand Rapids with a prayer vigil at 7:00. A Mass of Christian Burial will be
celebrated on Saturday, January 11, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Stephen Catholic Church, 750 Gladstone Dr SE,
East Grand Rapids. The family will greet guests 1 hour prior to Mass. In lieu of flowers, the family would
appreciate memorials to HELP Pregnancy Crisis Aid or Lori's Voice, two organizations focused on helping
families and children.