A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Friday, January 13, 2023 for 88-year-old Sr. Ann Frances Gross, ASC who passed away peacefully at 9:40 p.m., Sunday, January 8, 2023 at Benedictine Living Community on the grounds of the Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows near Belleville, Illinois.
Sr. Ann Frances was born on November 19, 1934 in Evansville, Illinois, she was baptized Anna Lee and was the ninth of ten children in the family of Michael and Martha (nee Bleem) Gross. Michael and Martha had four daughters join the ASC community in Ruma, Illinois.
Sr. Ann Frances made her first profession on July 1, 1954 and her final vows on July 1, 1959. She has been professed for 68 years.
During her 46 years in the nursing profession, Sr. Ann Frances played an essential role in several projects which increased the services offered by the three hospitals where she worked. At St. Vincent’s in Taylorville, she supervised the renovation of the emergency room. She also played a vital role in the education and training of operating room technicians and assisted them in reaching certification. At St. Clement’s in Red Bud, she assisted in setting up orthopedic, eye and neurological clinics. At St. Joseph’s in Murphysboro, she set up the obstetric department in the newly-opened hospital. She felt called to nurse the whole person back to health and championed for the best care for her patients.
Qualities that people found admirable in Sr. Ann Frances were her love of children, her positive attitude, and her strong sense of responsibility. She accepted with valor the blindness that came in her later years.
She is survived by her sister – Sr. Mildred Gross, ASC, her sister-in-law Loretta Gross, many nieces and nephews and members of the ASC community.
She was preceded in death by her parents, five brothers: Paul (Margaret) Gross, Leo (Ethel) Gross, Milton (Dorothy) Gross, Francis Gross and a baby brother who died at birth; and three sisters – Florence (Raymond) Bussman, Sr. Marina Gross, ASC and Sr. Mary Martin Gross, ASC.
Visitation will be Friday, January 13, 2023 from 9:15 -11:15 a.m. at the Benedictine Living Community at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows.
Mass of Christian Burial for 88-year-old Sr. Ann Frances Gross, ASC, will be held at 11:15 am, Friday, January 13, 2023 at the Benedictine Living Community at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows, 726 Community Drive, Belleville, Illinois
Immediately following Mass, the funeral procession will travel to the Convent Cemetery in Ruma, Illinois for burial
Donations in memory of Sister Ann Frances Gross may be sent to the ASC Retirement Fund, 4233 Sulphur Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63109 or online at www.adorers.org “Support our Ministries”