THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, January 10, 1996 TAG: 9601100351
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 62 lines
Edward Earl Gross, 79, noted civil engineer and retired executive of the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority, died Jan. 7, 1996.
A native of Dawson Springs, Ky., he was the son of Hugh Brummel Gross and Rebecca Hobgood Gross and for 53 years the husband of Anne Baker Gross. Besides his wife, he is survived by two daughters, Susan Gross Coe and Kathryn Gross Whitlock, both of Virginia Beach; two sons-in-law, Peter Davis Coe and Lee Elias Whitlock III; two sisters, Mrs. Betty Gross Brown and Mrs. Edna Gross Perry; two brothers, Mr. Henry Benjamin Gross and Mr. John Barnett Gross; three grandchildren, Sabra Robeson Coe, Amanda Baker Whitlock and Rachel Procise Whitlock; six nieces and nine nephews.
Mr. Gross was educated at Murray State University, Paducah, Ky., and Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, La., where he was on the golf and track teams. After working briefly as an assistant mining engineer, he entered the military, serving in the Army of the United States during World War II. He saw active service in North Africa, Sicily, Anzio, France, the Ardennes and Germany. Honorably discharged with the rank of captain, Mr. Gross then worked with the Army Corps of Engineers in Key West, Fla., and Albany, Ga.
In 1947, he was employed by Bush Construction Co. of Norfolk as a project manager, designing and building government and private housing communities, and was later promoted to general manager.
In 1956, Mr. Gross accepted a position with the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority. During his career there, he wrote papers on cathodic protection systems that were published in Materials Protection Magazine. He also prepared papers and training courses on cathodic protection for seven consecutive years at the University of West Virginia, which were subsequently published in book form.
Mr. Gross was recognized nationally for his expertise in public housing maintenance. Upon retirement from NRHA in 1986 as Assistant Executive Director, he was sought as a consultant by housing authorities in major cities to assist them with strategic planning.
He was a past director of Engineering Club of Hampton Roads; a member of the Society of American Military Engineers; a member and past chairman of the National Association of Corrosion Engineers; a member of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials; and past president of the Virginia Association of Housing and Development Officials.
Mr. Gross was a former deacon of Squires Memorial Presbyterian Church. He was also an ardent outdoorsman and conservationist. By assisting his longtime friend, the late Fred Heutte, with the introduction of the now widely enjoyed oleander shrub to southeastern Virginia, Mr. Gross hoped to leave a permanent token of his regard for Hampton Roads. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions may be sent to the Edward E. Gross Memorial Fund, Fred Heutte Center, 1000 Botetourt Gardens, Norfolk, Va. 23507.
There will be a private burial at Eastern Shore Chapel Cemetery, followed by a memorial service for family and friends at H.D. Oliver Funeral Apts., Laskin Road Chapel, Virginia Beach, at 2 p.m. today by the Rev. Susan H. Cothran. The family will receive friends after the memorial service at the home of Lee and Kathryn Whitlock, 709 Suffolk Circle, Virginia Beach, Va., 23452. H.D. Oliver Funeral Apts., Laskin Road Chapel, is handling arrangements.
KEYWORDS: DEATH OBITUARY by CNB