Last Person who Knew Lizzie Borden has Died
The last living person who knew Lizzie Borden has died. Grace Gross, daughter of Lizzie’s chauffeur Ernest Terry, passed away at the age of 97 in Camden, Maine.
Grace was born in Fall River, MA, on November 15, 1922.
Grace figures prominently in Parallel Lives: A Social History of Lizzie A. Borden and Her Fall River by Michael Martin and Dennis A. Binette.
She was but a child when she interacted with Lizzie Borden, but had many fond memories of “Auntie Borden.” According to Parallel Lives, Lizzie was “very fond of” Grace and on the little girl’s first birthday, “Auntie Borden” “presented her with a spoon, which she sent accompanied by gifts for the rest of the Terry family. “Lizzie always remembered birthdays, as an extant Christmas post card indicates.”
“The Terry children often visited Auntie Borden and, reminiscing about her times spent at her residence [Maplecroft], Grace recalled the wicker furniture on the ‘large back porch, that seemed as though it kind of wound around the side”; she did not remember the interior of the house. … Though Grace had ‘only seen photos of [Lizzie’s] dogs,’ she was told of how there once had been a modification to at least one of her vehicles made for their benefit. Lizzie ‘had a shelf built in the car for the dogs to sit and look out the window’; Grace believed ‘it was in the back seat by the window on the driver’s side.'”
“Father would pick up Auntie Borden, then come to our house and pick up Mother, Alden, and me.” “They would ‘go for a ride to Tiverton’ in one of Lizzie’s two sedans, the 1923 Lincoln or the 1924 Buick. There, they would enjoy a delicious treat of ‘ice cream [at Gray’s Ice Cream] at Tiverton Four Corners.”
Lizzie gifted young Grace with many treasures, including a Royal Bayreuth bowl from the Sunbonnet Baby series. The bowl was filled with gumdrops and another thoughtful gift: on the bottom of the bowl was a five-dollar bill, just for her.
Grace told the curators in an interview that her father, Ernest A. Terry, respected Lizzie and that she was very good to his family, believing her to be “a fine woman.” Grace related that her father “didn’t think she could have done it because she had always spoken so fondly of her father.”
Her obituary:
Camden — Grace Terry Gross, 97, died Aug. 19, 2020, at Quarry Hill in Camden. Grace was born in Fall River, Mass. on Nov. 15, 1922, the daughter of Ernest Alden Terry Sr. and Ellen Ball Terry. Grace and her older brother, Joe, spent several summers in Camden where their father worked for families that vacationed there. During these summers, Grace developed lifelong friendships and met Stephen Gross
She attended public schools in Fall River. While in middle school she met Ruth Bogle; their close friendship continued for more than 80 years. After high school, Grace attended Children’s Hospital School of Nursing, graduating in 1944.??Grace married the love of her life, Stephen Gross Feb. 3, 1946, in Fall River, Mass.. After spending the winter at the ‘Green Camp,’ the family cottage on Hosmer Pond, they moved to Brewer. Grace and Steve had five sons — four in Brewer and one after returning to Camden. A sixth “son,” Martin Zzibu Kironde, joined the family for a year, through AFS.??Grace’s family was the primary focus of her life. Over their 67 years of marriage, Grace and Steve attended practically every event that involved their sons, including sporting events, band concerts, chorus concerts and plays. This devotion to family continued in support of their 11 grandchildren. She also took a great deal of pleasure spending summers with her children and grandchildren at the family camps on Hosmer Pond. Her grandchildren fondly remember her homemade apple sauce and ginger snap cookies.
Active in the First Congregational Church, UCC in Camden, Grace volunteered in many roles, including head of the Christian Education Program. This devotion to the community set a strong example for her family. As a fair-weather skier, she could often be seen on the gentler slopes of the Snow Bowl enjoying her flawless snowplow. Grace was office manager for Monroe & Goodwin, Inc, for a number of years.
Grace was sadly predeceased by her husband of 67 years, Stephen K. Gross and their eldest son, Donald A. Gross, as well as her brother, Dr. Ernest “Joe” Alden Terry. She is survived by her daughter-in-law, Margaret Gross; sons Peter (Rachel), Kenneth, Robert (Cynthia Watson) and Richard (Laurina); her 11 grandchildren, Michele (Jake) Metzler, Laura (Christopher) van der Lugt, Rebecca (James) Mrazek, Sarah (Colin) Griggs, Hilary (John Barker) Gross, Jack and his partner, Rachael Plummer, Matthew and his fiancée, Amanda Butler, Kerry, Stephen, Emma and Andrew Gross; and her five great-grandchildren, Margaret and Abigail Metzler, Raleigh and Henry Griggs, and Alice Barker; a sister-in-law, Betty Jane Terry Mills; and nine nieces and nephews and their families.
Condolences, photos and memories may be shared with the Gross Family by visiting their book of memories at www.longfuneralhomecamden.com. A private family interment service will be held at Mountain View Cemetery, Camden. A celebration of Grace’s life will be held in August, 2021.
Those who wish to remember Grace in a special way can make gifts in her memory to the Shields Mission Fund c/o the First Congregational Church of Camden; to Meals on Wheels c/o MCH Inc, Rockland, ME; or the Camden Area District Nursing Association, Camden.
https://knox.villagesoup.com/p/grace-t-gross/1870373