Sam Gross

Peter Samuel "Sam" Gross, Jr. was born on November 9, 1929, in Independence, Missouri. He went to be with the Lord on April 23, 2015, at the age of 85. \r\n \r\nHe is preceded in death by his parents, Peter Samuel, Sr. and Evalyn Nickson Gross. He is survived by his loving wife of 58 years, Jacqueline Kennedy Gross. He also is survived by their 3 children, Peter, Joseph and Sydni Glazener, a brother, Richard Gross and a sister, Virgina Turk. The joy of his life were his 5 grandchildren, Mia Ramirez McCoy, Johnathan Ramirez, Shelby Gross, Lindsey Conran and Johnathan Conran as well as; his 3 great grandchildren, Saben McCoy, Brennan "BB" McCoy and Kayson Bennett.\r\n \r\nHe was a graduate of Westminster College, Fulton, Missouri and was a member of Phi Delta Theta Fraternity. Sam also achieved the honor of Eagle Scout. He attended law school at the University of Kansas, but left when he was appointed to the Naval Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island. Upon graduation Sam received the rank of Ensign in the United States Navy. He was assigned to the USS Sproston, DDE 577, and served during the Korean War. He advanced to Chief Gunnery Officer, with Secret Clearance, and left active duty in 1956. \r\n \r\nHe married Jacqueline N. Kennedy in 1956 and attended law school at St. Mary's University, San Antonio, Texas. After graduation from St. Mary's, Sam was appointed Assistant City Attorney for the City of San Antonio, and was the Chief Prosecutor for all municipal courts. He held positions with the law firms of Dobbins & Howard; Charles Lieck, Sr.; and Dayton Wiley before starting his own firm with John W. Benbow, under the name of Benbow & Gross, Inc., in 1968. A few years later the firm matured to Benbow, Gross, Richard & Zauft, Inc. He was a member of the San Antonio Bar Assn., was a Director in the San Antonio Trial Lawyers Course at South Texas School of Law, a member of the Texas Bar Association, and licensed to practice in the Western District of Texas and the Fifth Circuit. For several years, he also served as Municipal Judge for the City of Schertz, Texas. \r\n \r\nAfter his retirement he continued his passion for law through family mediation and pro bono cases. He was certified in General, Family Law and CPS Mediation, was a member of the Texas Mediation Credentialing Association: Credentialed Advanced. He was on the Board of Directors of the Hill Country Alternative DRC.\r\n \r\nHis hobbies included barbequing and cooking Sicilian dishes his grandmother had served him as a young child. He was well known for serving these fabulous dishes to friends and family on numerous occasions. Also his piano playing expertise will never be forgotten; he enjoyed playing songs of the 40's and 50's as well as Jazz and Boogie-Woogie. One of the greatest joys of his life was sharing his many talents with his five grandchildren. He also looked forward to the annual Father-Son Deer Hunt they had attended for over 25 years. Other hobbies included fishing and traveling to many places all over the world. \r\n \r\nA commemoration of his life will be held at 10 am on May 2, 2015 at Trinity Baptist Church, Kerrville, TX. \r\n \r\nIn lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in memory of Sam: The Salvation Army, www.salvationarmy.org, and/or The Nagaland Outreach Childrens Ministry, an orphanage in Dimapur, India, c/o Lynn Skonnord, 135 Lone Oak Dr, Seguin, TX, 78155. \r\n \r\n[contact-form-7 id="73" title="Send Condolences"]