Obituary of Doris Lee Gross

Doris Lee Gross 1933 - 2019 On December 20, 2019 Doris Lee Gross was called home to be with her Lord and Savior Christ Jesus. Doris was born in Roanoke, Virginia to James Vineyard and Thelma Swann in 1933. She graduated from Troutville High School in 1951. She graduated from Radford College, Radford, VA in 1954 with a degree in Home Economics. After college she lived in Richmond, VA teaching school. She then moved to Arlington, VA where she worked for Virginia Electric and Power. In 1963 she married her high school sweetheart and love of her life, Johnnie Gross (dec 1992) and moved to the “farm” in Troutville Virginia. She lived on the farm with Johnnie and raised 5 children. Every spring she could be found planting gardens, tending them in the summer and the fall was spent harvesting and canning to stock up for the winter. She was an amazing seamstress and loved her sewing room and sewing clothes for her children. Anyone who came to the farm was treated to amazing meals, she never turned anyone away. She passed on a love of the land to all her children and many various skills and talents. During this busy time of raising a family and teaching at James River High School, she found time to work on her master’s degree at Hollins College. Doris stood by her husband though death and after his passing started living a full life as a servant of the Lord in Roanoke. She was a faithful member of Troutville Baptist Church, taught the GED program in Botetourt County, and taught at TAP in Roanoke, Virginia. Doris committed her life to Christ at the age of 7, she was lifelong believer in the Lord. She tirelessly read Scripture, was a prayer warrior and truly found her “rest in the Lord.” She was called by the Lord in 1995 to travel to Egypt as a missionary and there she stayed for 13 years. In Egypt, she started a 2nd life, continuing her commitment of faith and service to the Lord. Teaching English as a second language at Faith Bible College, the Hospitality Suite hostess for Faith Church in Medan, Victoria and always helping in the church and community, spreading her love of the Lord where-ever she went. She moved back to the States in 2008 and lived in Montana for 5 years before coming home to Roanoke and her beloved farm to finish out her life. She is preceded in death by her father, James Vineyard (Viola), her mother, Thelma Swann (Larry) and her sister Beverly (Sheldon) Rapp. She is survived by her children Chris (Kelly) Gross, Jlee (Sabrina) Gross, Preston (Samantha) Gross, Jennifer (Gary) Gross and Hope (Gary) Johnson. and their families including 9 grandchildren, 1 great grandchild, nieces and nephews, and her extended Egyptian family, including Ayman Ragheb Mitri, whom she would always introduce as her “Egyptian Son.” Doris fulfilled the definition of a “Woman Who Fears the Lord” – Proverbs 31:10-31. We know that she was received into heaven with a glorious “well done, good and faithful servant…. Enter into the joy of your master.” Matthew 25:21. Heaven rejoiced at her homecoming on December 20. She was loved by all who knew her. And all who knew her were blessed. Her legacy of faith and love will endure through many generations to come. Any gifts in the honor of Doris can be sent to Evangelistic Faith Missions, PO Box 609, Bedford, IN 47421, USA with a note to support Faith Church, Cairo, Egypt. Or, a mission organization of your choosing. Funeral services will be conducted Noon Saturday, December 28, 2019 at Troutville Baptist Church by the Rev. Carol Johnston. Interment will follow in Troutville Cemetery. The family will receive friends at the church one hour prior to the service. Arrangements by Simpson Funeral Home.