Phyllis Gross

Phyllis Jean McKelvie was born on July 30, 1923 in Wilkes Barre, PA. She was the first child of Flora and James McKelvie. Her parents moved to West Bethlehem, PA where she was raised on Ninth Ave., and attended Calypso elementary school and Liberty High School. She married John H. Gross on Sept. 12, 1942. When John completed his engineering degree at Lehigh University, he received his commission as a Naval Officer and left in 1943 for service aboard the USS Tutuila in the Pacific, where he was the Communication, Navigation, and Repair Officer. While in the Pacific, Phyllis managed a Jewelry Store on Broad St. in Bethlehem. In 1946 when he returned from WWII, he rejoined the Lehigh faculty and Phyllis was active in the Lehigh Womens Club. Initially they lived on Spring St. in Bethlehem. And they then bought a home in the Mountain-view section of Hellertown. When John left the Lehigh faculty, they moved to Monroeville, PA, where he served as Director-Research for U.S. Steel. Phyllis' passion was for music and animals. With her two younger sisters, Olivia and Flora, they commonly entertained on stage at Central park. While in Hellertown she organized the Sweet Adeline's chorus with Jane Fehr. The chorus entertained throughout the Lehigh Valley. When she moved to Monroeville, she organized the Sweet Adelines of Western Pennsylvania with similar entertaining in Western PA. Throughout her time in Hellertown and Monroeville, she raised three litters of Rough Collies, which were actively shown in dog shows. She loved and cared for the collies and was well known for her wonderful care of them. She is survived by her husband, John of 70 years marriage, her son Jeffrey Gross born in 1952, her granddaughters, Amie and Joanna Gross, her sister Flora Mae Nehilla and her brother James McKelvie.