William Armin Gross

William Armin Gross
1925- 2013
Resident of Orinda
William Armin Gross was born to Edwin William Gross and the former Elsie Annemarie Schotte in Erie, Pennsylvania in 1925. His family moved to Washington D.C. when he was nine, and he attended Washington public schools and graduated from Calvin Coolidge High School.
He attended Syracuse University until May 1944, at which time he enrolled at the New York State Maritime Academy. Following graduation from the Maritime Academy he was a deck officer on several Liberty ships, sailing to Europe, Africa, and the Orient. In 1946 he received a commission in the US Naval Reserves and returned to Syracuse, graduating in 1950.
During the early '50's Bill worked in the travel business for American Express, the British Government, and Neiman Marcus in Florida and Texas. In 1957 he moved to San Francisco to work for Safeway Stores Inc. His career at Safeway lasted for 25 years and was largely in the areas of Market Research, Corporate Planning, and Public Affairs.
In 1958 he married the former Elizabeth Reid of Shreveport, Louisiana, with whom he had two daughters: Alison Elizabeth and Samantha Leslie. In 1964 they moved to Orinda where they lived for the rest of their 55 year marriage.
Bill retired from Safeway in 1982 and devoted much time to various volunteer activities including the incorporation of City of Orinda and the Orinda Foundation. He sat on the Orinda Association Board of Directors, the California State Fair Board of Trustees, the Contra Costa Food Bank, and was an Orinda Fire Commissioner. His interests ranged from gardening, walking, cooking, winemaking to gemology, jewelry design, ceramics and woodworking; and he was an avid reader and student of history and politics. For many years he was an enthusiastic traveler throughout the United States and Europe with his wife and good friends, most particularly Phil and Diane Carroll (his wife's sister).
Bill is survived by his wife, his daughters, Alison and husband Paul Cevolani, and Samantha and husband Mark de Bie. He also leaves four grandchildren, four step-grandchildren, and five step-great-grandchildren.
In accordance with his wishes, his ashes have been scattered at sea.