Obituary of Patricia Sharon Gross

On Thursday, May 26th, 2022, in Mesa, AZ, Patricia Sharon Gross, loving wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and sister, sadly left us. She was 80. Born on August 1, 1941 to parents Dan and Mary White in Phoenix, she moved to Chula Vista, California, where she grew up and graduated from high school. Pat, or "Patsy", as she was often called, had three sisters, Joyce, Jan, and Donna. In December of 1959 she married Rodger Gross, a soldier from Kentucky. Together they raised three sons, Danny, Darryl, and Russell. They lived a military life, raising their family overseas in France, Germany, Turkey, and stateside in Arizona, New Mexico, California, Georgia, and South Carolina. Rodger would need to be gone for long stretches, notably a year of wartime duty in Vietnam, and Pat would be required to carry on solo with the kids. Pat balanced her home life by working at times as a telephone operator, a librarian, postal clerk, and in several offices as an administrator. Family always came first, though. After Rodger passed away suddenly in 1978, Pat and her boys moved back to Phoenix, where many of her extended family members lived. Living in the same area as the majority of her family proved invaluable. Her father, Dan, and stepmom Sara, were indispensable. Frequent get-togethers with her sisters were legendary for their loudness and laughter. She kept herself busy with the kids, and was renowned for her crochet blankets and macrame owls. She had a surprisingly liberal sense of humor and an unbreakable affection for animals, particularly dogs. In 1990, Pat met Gail Heimburg. Gail gave her a renewed sense of direction, introducing new activities and different adventures; he and his extended family were a welcome blessing to her. Gail had an immeasurable affect on her, and she loved him deeply for his unending loyalty and willingness to include her in his life. Pat's strong relationships as a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother to her own and Gail's children and kin is a testimony to the strong loving relationships and bonds she developed in her life with him. Pat is survived by Gail Heimburg, and children Danny Gross, Darryl Gross, Russell Gross, Brian Heimburg, Darci Heimburg, and 14 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren, sister Joyce and stepmother Sara. She will be greatly missed. Funeral service: 10:00 am at Meldrum Mortuary 52 N Macdonald, Mesa, AZ 85201 Cemetery Details Greenwood Memory Lawn Cemetery 2300 W Van Buren Phoenix, AZ Loading map Previous Events Funeral Service JUN 6. 10:00 AM (MT) Meldrum Mortuary 52 N Macdonald Mesa, AZ 85201 info@meldrummortuary.com https://www.meldrummortuary.com Loading map Graveside JUN 6. 12:00 PM (MT) Greenwood Memory Lawn Cemetery 2300 W Van Buren Phoenix, AZ Loading map