Joyce GROSS Obituary

Joyce Romeyn Gross, 88, passed away on December 24, 2012. Born to Florence and Edward Richardson, August 8, 1924, in Alameda, CA, she was the youngest of three children. Joyce lived and attended school in Alameda and completed her education with a degree in American History from the University of California, Berkeley in 1944 where she was the first woman manager of the Daily Cal Newspaper. Joyce married Edmond Gross In 1947. And in 1956 moved the family to Mill Valley where they lived until Edmond's passing in 1988. She then moved to Petaluma to be closer to her grandchildren. In 2008, she moved back to Marin County. Joyce was passionate about many things. She was active politically, served on the school board in Mill Valley and created the unique clothing shop, Valerie Ann's in the 1960's. In 1969, Joyce bought an old quilt, and thus sparked the central passion of her life - collecting, researching and making quilts. Over the following decades, Joyce created one of the preeminent historic quilt collections in the world. It is now housed at the Briscoe Center for American History in Austin, Texas along with the extensive research and ephemera related to the collection. In honor of her contribution to quilt history, she was inducted into the Quilter's Hall of Fame. Joyce will be remembered for her enthusiasm for life and her feisty nature. She was an outspoken proponent for Democratic causes, which most recently included her unwavering support of President Obama. Joyce is survived by her children Vicki Chase, Rob Gross and Valerie Joyner. She is also survived by her grandchildren and great grandson and her beloved dog Penny. There will be a celebration of Joyce's life at the Embassy Suites, San Rafael on Sunday, January 27 from 2:00-4:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, Joyce requested memorial contributions be made to maintain her quilt collection. Contributions can be made to: "The University of Texas at Austin - Joyce Gross Fund" ATT: Ramona Kelly Briscoe Center for American History 2300 Red River Street, Stop D1100 SRH, Unit 2, Ste. 2.109, Austin, TX 78712-1426

Published by Press Democrat from Jan. 16 to Jan. 17, 2013.
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Memories and Condolences
for Joyce GROSS

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I have many fond memories of Joyce. I was thinking of her just the other day.....a great researcher and historian but most important a great friend.

Jinny beyer

January 13, 2021

Thank you to all that attended Mom's "Celebration of Life" yesterday. It was a grand send off for a grand woman! We will all miss Joyce (Mom) however her spirit will live on through all of us. With Gratitude, Vicki

January 28, 2013

Joyce Gross: Where to begin? A gifted mind. Behind the gruff exterior, a warm and sharing soul. Cuesta Benberry had introduced me to Joyce at one the first AQSG seminars. Those late night discussions found me in a delightful sandwich between two quilt encyclopedias!
When I first started researching quilt kits, they were considered, as Arene Burgess so aptly puts it "The red haired stepchild of the quilt world." Joyce, with her contacts with Jeanette Throckmorton's family, supplied me with several copies of early Homeneedlecraft quilt kit packages. And Cuesta fueled the fire with her extensive knowledge of quilt kits and more of her "ephemera."
Thus started a lifelong interest in quilt kits.
Joyce, are you wearing my orange socks and your Birkenstocks in heaven? I will miss you, my friend.
Shirley McElderry

January 27, 2013

I met Joyce a number of years ago and she was one of my favorite people at the quilt symposiums. We had many laughs about the interesting socks that she would wear and I found her to be always happy to see me and always available to enlighten me on quilt history. She was one great lady. Dorothy Stish, Minneapolis, MN

January 23, 2013

Joyce Gross was one of the pioneers of late-20th century quilt research. She published her findings in a newsletter, The Quilter's Journal, which remains a treasure trove of nuggets relating particularly to quilters and writers of the early 20th century. Her library and ephemera collection are an unsurpassed resource for textile scholars. She was one of a kind, and I feel fortunate to have known her over a period of 30 years.

Laurel Horton

January 23, 2013

I was honored to meet Joyce Gross at an exhibition of the quilts she had collected. She was so generous with her time and so excited to share the stories related to the quilts in the exhibition. She paved the way for so many who have come after her, but none will live up to her pioneering accomplishments.
Kay Triplett
Quilt and Textile Collections

January 23, 2013

I met Joyce several years ago when I imposed upon her to look at the construction of a 19th century quilt I had and explain how it was assembled. This first meeting led to many, many more spent in the building behind her home where I used her library and other resources to research a book and helped her organize the ephemera stored there. We were usually joined by Joyce's wonderful dog, Jess, whom I kept supplied with nummy treats. Joyce never failed to share her library, other resources, fabric and quilt collections, and sharp wit when I was with her. Those days with Joyce among the ephemera were very happy indeed. I miss her.

Lynda Salter Chenoweth

January 22, 2013

Were there ever two more dedicated researchers than Joyce Gross and her longtime friend, Cuesta Benberry? They shared an enthusiasm for the printed materials of quilt history: what Cuesta called ephemeral materials and Joyce called "stuff." Both were meticulous archivers, and were known to phone each other daily, sometimes several times a day, to share discoveries, insights, queries. (And that was in the day when one paid by the minute for long distance calls!) The American Quilt Study Group has a traveling quilt made in Joyce's honor, called "Gross Stuff." Each year it is auctioned, owned for a year, and returned for auction, adding thousands of dollars to support quilt history. The quilt includes images of "stuff," notes from Joyce, and a re-creation of one of her beloved purple Birkenstocks. We won't see another of her ilk. Bless you, Joyce, for the humor, the clarity of thought, the love of quilt history that you gave us.

Xenia Cord
American Quilt Study Group

January 22, 2013

The world of quilt history has lost one of its most influential figures with the death of Joyce Gross. Joyce's lifelong dedication to a painstaking, labor-intensive quilt research project resulted in rooms full of boxes of her notes, all cross-indexed, along with the original printed documentation: more than 1000 quilt books, vast assortments of periodicals ranging back to the early 20th century, ephemera of all kinds, including rare fabric samples. She had a library of original documents that would be almost impossible to assemble today. Luckily the Briscoe Center for American History at the University of Texas was able to acquire this incredible body of historical reference materials, along with an important part of her quilt collection which included examples by such important quiltmakers as Bertha Stenge, Pine Eisfeller, Florence Peto, and Dr. Jeannette Throckmorton. Joyce was a major force in early quilt research and documentation. Her work will live on for generations.
Karey Bresenhan
Director Emeritus, International Quilt Festival—Houston and other cities
Co-founder, Texas Quilt Museum

Karey Bresenhan

January 21, 2013

Joyce was one of the early pioneers in the renaissance of interest in quilts. Her focus was on the individuals who had preserved and furthered quilting in the early to mid-20th century, and she approached her research with the diligence of an academician, producing one of the most extensive and thoroughly researched bodies of information anywhere on the subject of quilt history. She was interested in a scholarly approach to quilt study.

Joyce's archives and quilts are an irreplaceable body of information and they provide insight into the lives, activities, and interests of women in the 20th century, a time of great social and cultural changes. The Joyce Gross Collection now resides at the Briscoe Center for American History at the University of Texas at Austin, and includes nearly 200 quilts by American quilters, including "The Garden" and "Tree of Life," both by Pine Eisfeller, which were named to the list of the "100 Best Quilts of the Twentieth Century."
Nancy O'Bryant Puentes
Executive Vice President
Quilts, Inc.
Co-Founder, Texas Quilt Museum

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January 21, 2013

Joyce and I became fast friends from the first day I met her in 1976. She was a mentor to me, was very free with any of her research. We had a great time together and shared lots of laughs.What a great lady!

Jinny Beyer

January 20, 2013

Joyce left such a legacy to quilt history. The Quilters Hall of Fame honored her in 1998 and their blog contains more of her story. http://thequiltershalloffame.blogspot.com/2012/12/passing-of-joyce-gross-1998-honoree.html

Karen Alexander

January 16, 2013

One of a kind. Joyce was one of a kind in personality and in meticulous quilt history documentation. And I'll never forget those wild socks! It was a privilege to have known her since 1985. I sure hope you and Cuesta and Sally are having a great quilt confab somewhere right now, now that you are all together again! Thank you for your many rich contributions to this field --quilt history-- we who knew you shared so passionately. The field of quilt history wouldn't be where it is today without!

Karen Alexander

January 16, 2013

Wow what a lady! I remember meeting and listening to Joyce when she addressed the Mt.Tam Quilt Club in San Rafael in the 1990's. She had the group roaring with laughter as she recounted stories of some of her quilt acquisitions--- stories only another quilt collector could fully appreciate. Bright, determined and accomplished--she made her mark. So glad to hear that her collection will be enjoyed by many for years to come.

Patricia

January 16, 2013

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