Barbara S. Gross

Barbara Sarraf Gross, loving mother, much-loved teacher and friend passed away on Thursday, August 24, 2017. Born January 16, 1928, Barbara was a graduate of Perry High School in Pittsburgh, PA, and received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Pittsburgh. Barbara lived independently to the end. She passed away peacefully surrounded by her family. Her parents, Harriett O. Sarraf and Samuel H. Sarraf, lived in the North Hills of Pittsburgh. Her father was a District Attorney for the City of Pittsburgh. She had three siblings, Amelia Marsteller, Harriett Klein, and Samuel Sarraf, Jr., being survived by her oldest sister, Amelia Marsteller of Douglasville, PA. She is survived by her children, Barbara Ann Bridges of Greenwood Village, CO; Jane Elizabeth McConnell of Centennial, CO; and Clifford John Gross, Jr. of Denver, CO along with their extended families. A former teacher of English, Latin, and Spanish in the greater Pittsburgh area, Barbara was 89 ½ years old when she passed. She began teaching at the tender age of 21, teaching juniors and seniors English and Latin. She worked in the Plum, North Hills, and Shaler school districts, finishing her career as a middle school Latin teacher with the North Allegheny School District where she retired in 1991. Barbara was an independent, feisty woman who had a wonderful sense of humor and loved to laugh, making everyone around her laugh as well. She was an avid reader and writer, participating in a writing group throughout her retired life. She compiled her memoirs for her children as a way to share her love of writing with her family. One of the outstanding experiences that she had was a trip of a lifetime that she took to Israel in 1993. It was something she often fondly remembered. Always concerned with the needs of her family, she worked closely with The ARC of Arapahoe and Douglas Counties in Colorado to advocate for her son’s wellbeing. Services will be held for Barbara at Horan and McConaty Funeral Home, 5303 E. County Line Road, Centennial, CO 80122, on the 9th of September at 1:30 p.m. Charitable contributions can be made to The ARC of Arapahoe and Douglas counties in Barbara’s memory in lieu of flowers at www.arc-ad.org.