Obituary
Nancy May Gross
Nancy May Gross, age 86, died at 6:46 a.m. in Folsom, California on April 8, 2025. The cause was pneumonia and sepsis compounded by Parkinson’s disease.
Born on March 5, 1939, in Concordia, Argentina, South America, to the Rev. Fred W. and Emilie Gross, she graduated from Garfield, Lincoln, and Needham Elementary Schools and Lodi Union High School Class of 1956 in Lodi, CA. She graduated from Sacramento State with a degree in Education and USF with a degree in School Administration. She worked many years as a teacher, reading specialist, and principal in San Juan Unified School District.
Nancy was predeceased by her siblings Vernon Gross, Grace Gammill, and Margie Peters. She is survived by her children Brock Gillaspy, Grant Gillaspy (wife Luisita), and Heather Niemi as well as her grandchildren Kyle, Garrett, and Maya Gillaspy and Gunnar Niemi.
Nancy loved her life and the people in it. She created the "First Friday Group", a group of San Juan Principals who met monthly to share ideas and give each other support. The "Orangevale Group" was a group of people who worked together beginning in about 1970 and kept their friendships strong by keeping in touch and enjoying a party each Christmas for 47 years. She and a few High School friends started the Lodi Lunch Bunch which met every other month and grew to about 40 high school classmates. Nancy loved to learn especially by reading and traveling in the United States, Europe, and South America by herself or with the Travel Friends Ella, Trudy, Ernie, and Karen. Claudia was a special friend as was Felice. Gardening was a passion which gave her such pleasure in designing by color and structure. She especially enjoyed tending to her succulents.
Nancy held many interests in her life. In high school she was active in school clubs: The Gaveliers (Speech Club), Pegasus (English Honor Society), German Club, CSF (CA scholarship Federation). She was a very good student. At Sacramento State, Nancy became the president of the first women’s dormitory, Jenkins Hall. After trying for several years, at the beginning of the 1960 Spring semester, five off-campus sororities received official recognition. Nancy’s sorority, Delta Sigma Nu, was one of those recognized.
Throughout Nancy’s life she was involved in her community, often participating in protests downtown and advocating for women’s rights. Nancy was not just a smart cookie, but a Mensa member. She sang and was a member of the Sacramento Choral Society & Orchestra for several years.
Those who wish to honor Nancy's memory are invited to make a donation the Twin Lakes Food Bank in Folsom, twinlakeksfoodbank.org
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I wrote a few words about what she meant to our neighborhood, if you'd like to read them:
https://fromthedeskofdf.com/2025/04/13/to-nancy
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Together, let us continue the legacy of compassion and kindness that Nancy embodied throughout their life.
