Laura (Love) MacNeill Gross arrived on March 14, 1933, in Beverly, Massachusetts, and went to be with the Lord on February 21, 2026 in Franklin, Tennessee. 

Surrounded by three brothers, she became a strong little girl…able both to dress up like a princess and to chase her rambunctious brothers through the woods in rural Danbury, New Hampshire. Life wasn’t easy for her family, but they persevered and built a fierce, lifelong love for one another. 

She loved to tell childhood stories to her two sons, Peter and Paul, and her four grandchildren, Bethany, David, Sarah, and Ben. One of their favorites was the time she was struck by a car and dragged by her hair (the distance grew over the years). There was a myriad of cats. Trips into the White Mountains. Hiking Mount Kearsarge. An awesome swimming hole. Her mom, Doris MacNeill, worked as a nanny and Laura loved to visit and marvel over the well-stocked toy box. As a grandmother, she did her best to ensure her beloved grandkids had playthings galore. 

Laura rode a train (nicknamed Peanut) to high school daily. If she stayed behind and missed it, she’d walk several miles home, often catching a ride with the town policeman. In school, Laura was into everything…usually serving as team captain. After graduation, Laura paid her way through Plymouth State Teacher’s College, the first in her family to attend college. She later earned a Master’s Degree in Education. 

In the New Hampshire summers, Laura worked waiting tables at the packed-with-tourists, Thornton Howard Johnson’s. There she met Arnold, a cute younger guy working the grill. Love quickly blossomed and they married in June,1958, (and married for 67 years). Peter arrived ten months later. Paul followed two years after him. 

Laura and her family ended up in Ossining, New York, where she dove into life as a wife and mom. She loved dragging her boys around NYC visiting the zoo and museums and enjoying cultural events. Heavily involved as a volunteer in school, church, and scouting, she was their number one cheerleader, rooting them on from the sidelines. 

Once her boys reached high school, Laura dusted off her teaching credentials and went back to the classroom full-time. She served as a beloved and award-winning teacher at Ossining High School until retirement. 

Arnold and Laura decided to make one last move after escaping their respective classrooms and considered Virginia, where Peter and Judy lived, or Franklin, where Paul and Kari lived. Tennessee won out and they packed up and headed south. Six months later, Paul led his family up to Virginia for a job and Laura and Arnie stood in the driveway of their new home, waving goodbye to a U-Haul. 

But they didn’t miss a beat. New Englanders stranded in the South? No problem! 

They became deeply involved in their church, Clearview Baptist, where Laura, once again, stuck her finger into several pies. She served on various committees and spent time with her husband visiting hospitals, homes, and retirement centers. She traveled to NYC after 9/11 and wore a hard hat while serving food and drink to weary first responders. When they weren’t serving at church, they joined up with family and friends for grand travel adventures in the U.S., Europe, and Israel. 

They were delighted when Peter and Judy, as well as their grandson David and his wife Carrie, joined them in Franklin. Grandson Ben and his wife Natalie eventually ended up here, too. Laura loved when her South Dakota granddaughter Bethany and her Air Force husband Jeffery or Iowa granddaughter Sarah and her Army husband Philip visited. Always most welcome were her five grandsons, James, Miles, Kodiak, Isaac, Christopher, and her charming youngest, Luna. Her seventh greatgrand will arrive in August of this year. 

As Laura and Arnie slowed down, they moved into (and loved) Brookdale Franklin where, once again, they dove into community life. After Arnie passed away a year ago, Laura moved to Harpeth at Harmony Hills. Her family is grateful for the care received at both places. 

Visitation with the family is scheduled for 2:00 and a short memorial service for 3:00 at Williamson Memorial Funeral Home, 3009 Columbia Avenue, Franklin, TN, on Saturday, March 14th. Since it would have been Laura’s 93rd birthday, prepare to celebrate her life