Walter Gross
Walter "Clark" Gross, 90, passed away on February 7, 2021, after a long battle with Parkinson's disease which he handled with great dignity and grace.
Clark was born May 14, 1930, in Lafollette, Tennessee, to the late Walter and Nora V. (Walters) Gross. Clark was a kind, generous, and loving Christian man who was known for his sense of humor, patience, and intelligence, as well as his love of family and friends. Clark was a graduate of Carson Newman University where he met his wife, Patti. He joined the U.S. Army upon graduation and served in Germany as a First Lieutenant with the 91st AAA. While serving in the military, he and Patti enjoyed traveling through Europe. After his service, Patti and Clark settled in Chattanooga to start a family. Prior to retirement, Clark worked as an actuary and a CPA for Provident (Unum) for 30 years. After his first retirement, he started his own CPA firm and didn't fully retire until he was in his 80s. Clark loved his community and church and performed volunteer work for many years. He served as treasurer for First Baptist Church, life deacon, and as a Sunday school teacher for the Water's class. Clark served on the boards of the Chattanooga Symphony, the Chattanooga Music Club, the Tennessee Baptist Children Homes, Chattanooga Red Cross, Senior Neighbors and the Elder Mountain Volunteer Services as well as being active in Carson-Newman University Alumni and the United Way.
Clark loved and adored his family deeply and was happiest when surrounded by his wife of 67 years, Patti Jo (Coxey) Gross, daughters, Ann (David) Dean of Chattanooga, Allison (Gary) Layne of Atlanta, and grandsons, Mac Dean and Sam Dean, both of Chattanooga. Clark was a good man treating all people with kindness and respect and putting their needs ahead of his own.
Besides his immediate family, Clark is survived by his sister, Jane (Gross) Leigh of Centerville, OH and brother, Joe Gross of Knoxville TN, and many nieces and nephews.
A special thanks to all the staff at Hospice of Chattanooga and Susanna DeLeon, Clark's private caregiver. Daughters Allison and Ann would like to thank our mother for her loving care and devotion to daddy as he went through the various struggles of Parkinson’s over the past five years.
A private memorial service will be held in the Coulter Chapel of Lane Funeral Home with interment at Chattanooga National Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorials be made to Carson-Newman University, Box 71970, Jefferson City, TN 37760-9989 (https://community.cn.edu/give-now) or Hospice of Chattanooga, 4411 Oakwood Drive, Chattanooga, TN 37416, (https://www.hospiceofchattanooga.org/donation-form).
Arrangements are by Lane Funeral Home, 601 Ashland Terrace Chattanooga, Tn. 37415, www.lanefh.com, 423 877-3524.