Bill was the son of Zora William Nace Gross, the youngest Nace daughter. When the picture below was taken of the Nace family in 1902, Zora had not yet been born.
Here is Bill Gross as a baby, held by his cousin Alene Ruble at the Ruble home on Watts Avenue in Roanoke.
Here he is with Alene again on his birthday. Bill was born March 16, 1930; Alene was born March 17, 1913. No doubt they are celebrating both birthdays. Bill's dog was named "At."
The Gross family lived not far far from the Rubles in the Roanoke's Rugby section before moving to Newport News. Below is Bill's picture as it appeared in his obituary in The Roanoke Times.
From his obituary:
William Claude Gross, 84, of Newport News, died at his home on March 22, 2014, surrounded by family. Bill moved to Newport News at the age of eight when his father came to work at the Newport News Shipyard and the C&O Railroad. He graduated from Newport News High School in February 1948.
As a young man, Bill worked as a delivery boy for Western Union and Colonial Grocery Store in downtown Newport News. While in the United States Air Force from 1950-1954, he served during the Korean Conflict as a radio mechanic on the Douglas B-26 with the 13th Bomb Squadron of the 8th Air Force. After returning from Korea, he followed his father and began a career with the C&O Railroad in 1954, serving as electrician apprentice, and then as Electrician and Electrical Foreman. He retired in 1988 as a General Foreman of the Mechanical Department with CSX Transportation. After retirement, Bill helped his son, Glenn, run his own business and helping repair and maintain equipment.
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