Esther Gross was born in 1936 in what was French Equatorial Africa, and she passed away June 9, 2026, in Alive Hospice Residence in Nashville, TN, 10 days before her 90th birthday.

Esther grew up as a missionary kid in what is now Central African Republic, where her parents served with Baptist MidMissions. She had a strong faith in God and thanked the Lord regularly that she grew up in a Christian home.

Esther’s playmates as a child were her brother, sister, and some pets. She was quite excited to attend boarding school at Hampton DeBois Academy (HDA) in Florida for grades 10-12 since she finally had friends her own age! Her friendship with Barb Davies at HDA led to her meeting her future husband, Fred, at Barb and Stan's wedding. She was the maid of honor, and he was the best man, and that resulted in 66 years of marriage. She graduated from Wheaton College before her wedding.

She and Fred joined Wycliffe Bible Translators in 1970. She taught missionary kids in kindergarten and junior high in Lomalinda, Colombia, and later helped other missionaries raise their support to go to the mission field. She also taught ESL at a community college for several years and befriended some of her students.

Esther was a great writer. She had some articles, part of a curriculum, and a novel published. Her hobbies included scrapbooking; collecting bells, spoons, and nativities; as well as crocheting. We have many of her doilies. She also loved studying God’s Word.

She is preceded in death by her parents Virgil and Esther [Hawkins] Moneysmith, her husband Fred Gross, and her brother Don Paul Moneysmith. She is survived by one sister, Dottie Hoppe. Her legacy lives on through her children: Laurie [Rick] Newman, Lynee [Alan] Ward, and Don Paul [Ginger] Gross, her six grandchildren, and her four great-grandsons.

A memorial service to honor Esther’s life is planned for Saturday, June 13, at 4:00 p.m. CDT in Nashville, TN, at Bellevue Baptist Church. A live stream (and recording) of the service will be available at https://www.youtube.com/live/RQbTbkkdh3I. 

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Alive Hospice (https://alivehospice.org/get-involved/give/), an organization that provided wonderful care at the end of both her life and her husband’s, or to Wycliffe Bible Translators (https://www.wycliffe.org/projects/give-your-gift-in-honor-or-memory-of-a-loved-one) in Esther’s memory. (Please include "In Memory of Esther Gross" as a note.)