Educator, community activist.
Born at Winnipeg on 18 August 1914, son of John Gross (1888-1975) and Katherine Pfeifer (?-1979), he grew up with a farming background in the Vivian area. He worked for the local Co-op Association before taking teacher training, after which his career included work at Sundown School (1942-1943, Principal), Ridgewood School (1952-1954), Green Bay School (1955-1956), Monominto School (1958-1961), Graysville School (1962-1963), St. Ouens South School (1963-1964), Beecher Hutterite Colony School (c1973), Hillside Hutterite Colony School (c1974), and Boissevain Collegiate where he was Vice-Principal (c1970) and Principal (c1972 and 1978-1979). On 10 June 1948, he married Gertrude Shine (?-?) at Cardston, Alberta. The couple later lived in the Brandon area. He was politically active in the Manitoba Social Credit Party, serving as its President (1973-1975), and as a candidate in the 1958, 1973, and 1977 provincial general elections, in the Springfield constituency in the 1958 federal general election, and for the Brandon-Souris riding in the 1974 and 1979 federal general elections. He died at the Bethesda Hospital in Steinbach on 15 December 1994 and was buried in the Queens Valley Cemetery.
Birth registrations, Manitoba Vital Statistics.
“The Election Act - Electoral Division of Brokenhead,” Winnipeg Free Press, 7 June 1958, page 55.
“The importance of foundations,” Brandon Sun, 13 October 1970, page 2.
“District news briefs [Boissevain],” Brandon Sun, 17 October 1972, page 9.
“Brandon East constituency will have Socred candidate,” Brandon Sun, 12 June 1973, page 1.
“Notice under the Election Act,” Brandon Sun, 16 June 1973, page 20.
“John Gross nominated as Socred candidate,” Brandon Sun, 13 June 1974, page 2.
“Three key points in Socred campaign,” Brandon Sun, 3 July 1974, page 1.
Obituary [John Gross], Winnipeg Free Press, 11 June 1975, page 56.
“Brandonite elected,” Brandon Sun, 24 November 1975, page 2.
Obituary [Katherine Gross], Winnipeg Free Press, 15 October 1979, page 38.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 17 December 1994, page C10.
Obituary, Brandon Sun, 17 December 1994, page 12.
Obituaries and burial transcriptions, Manitoba Genealogical Society.
This page was prepared by Nathan Kramer and Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 18 June 2022
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