Where I’ve been and where I’m going

My Family Portrait

Most people find their identity and self worth from their job
or in the things they do. It is my desire to paint a picture of my
family with words, discovering in the process just who we are. I
carry the same name as my Grandfather John Gross so let me
start there.

He was a strong man who had married my grandmother Sue
who was 12 years younger than him. He carried in his persona
what had been handed to Him, a strong German work ethic. My
father Ron Gross grew up in those days just after the great
depression and through World War 2. If eyes could see through
that filter you would most certainly understand how love was not
carried in words of sweet containers. Love was shown in those
tuff conditions by working long hard hours just to provide the
simple necessities of life. It was the right container for the times
and most knew it including dad. As it would happen times got
better and dad made his way to Kansas City to find his place in
the world.

It wasn’t long before dad had a job and settled in, until one
Sunday night God called him to preach. That didn’t fit in with
his father’s idea for his future, but dad obeyed God. Now
granddad got over it pretty quick and even showed hints of liking
the idea after awhile.

It was off to Southwest Baptist University for several years
then to Ouachita Baptist University to complete his degree. It
was there that he met my mother Evelyn Holmes who was
working as one of the school nurses. Mom’s family made the
ideal place to visit for Christmas. Her mother Leona
demonstrated the best example of pure love I ever witnessed.
Concerning mom, as they say the apple doesn’t fall far from the
tree

Mom and dad married in 1959 and they were off to Kansas City
for dad to attend Midwestern Theological Seminary. I came
along in 1961 so as I hear it we were very poor but they stayed
the course. While he didn’t spend the $10 for the certificate he
finished with a masters in theology. Dad pastored his first church
in 1964 in Clarksburg followed by Olean, Adrian, Scott City,
Warsaw, and Stockton all in Missouri.

I have two sisters, the oldest is Ginger 3 years younger than me. I
made her life miserable but she just loved her brother and kept
coming back for more. I have in recent years asked her to
forgive me for how bad I treated her and of course she did.
Ginger is married to my old school buddy John Underwood and
they have one daughter, Amber who is in college now she got the
smarts I wish I had. Janelle is my youngest sister and being 10
years apart I have only gotten to know her after we were adults.
She married Mark Gables after getting her teaching degree and
has 3 sweetheart daughters Holly, Olivia and Anna who keep them
active to say the least.
I grew up thinking I was born 100 years to late, you see
fishing and the great outdoors was it for me. Then something
happened to me around 1973, I started feeling rebellious and I
wanted to be a hippy or at least dress like one. But just as I was
felling good in my early teens it all changed with disco but not
with me, I was born to late again. By the late 1970’s I found it,
parties, drugs, what ever, I was in. I kept it secret for a while but
by 1979 when my teenage girl friend Dianna Holland came up
pregnant everyone knew.

The Baptist preacher’s kid has gone
and done it and he’s only a junior in high school. Well believe it or not,
We married and 9 days later came John David Jr. [ David ]. I finished
school while Dianna and I worked and all our families watched
David. Most people thought we would last about 1 year, lets see
we celebrated our 30 th year of marriage. Angela came 3 years later
and She was my my miracle baby. My rebelion died with Her birth, we
celebrate the same birthday, her natural my supernatral.

Enough for now you can check out our web page link below and see
what we are up to now but I will be telling more of our story as time permits.

http://www.houseoffriends.org