Marvin Gross

Marvin Claude Gross

Our beloved Dad, Papaw, brother, and uncle, Marvin Claude Gross, 97, passed away at the age of 97 on Wednesday, February 16, 2022, at his home of 60 years in Roswell, NM. We are all incredibly blessed to have lived our lives with a kind and loving father and grandfather. He was an inspiration to his daughters, grandchildren, and younger brothers, to strive for their best life.

Services will be at Ballard Chapel on Tuesday, February 22, 2022 at 11:00 am burial following at South Park.

Marvin was born in Charlie, Texas on May 25, 1924, as the oldest son to parents Claude and Nellie Gross. Marvin grew up the son of a sharecropper and spent his young years working their cotton farm with the help of his “best friend Jake”, their one eye blind mule. Life was challenging living on various farms with no running water, no indoor plumbing or electricity. After graduating high school in Vernon, Texas, Marvin was drafted into the Army on June 30, 1943, and spent his time in England for the entirety of the war.

After returning from the war, Marvin married his childhood friend and love, Berneice Jones on August 30, 1946, in Wichita Falls, Texas. During their early years they had three daughters; Diane, Donna, and Dorothy – all while Marvin attended Midwestern University and graduated with a degree in Geology in 1952. Upon graduation, Marvin went to work for Tenneco Oil in Wichita Falls as a geologist. He was transferred to Tenneco’s office in Midland, Texas in 1956 and lived there with his family until 1960. At that time, they moved to Roswell, NM where Marvin became co-owner of Roswell Map and Blueprint. He and Berneice worked the business along with their partners until it was closed in 1966. Marvin then spent the rest of his life working as an Independent Geologist in Roswell, discovering numerous wells in the southeastern region of New Mexico. He joined the American Association of Petroleum Geologist in 1955 and was an emeritus member at the time of his death.

“The advice a geologist can give us much like that of a surgeon. He draws on his total knowledge, experience and the fact he has, says a prayer if he is a religious man, and then gives his best judgement. If he is a good geologist, he is right more often than he is wrong. But the proof whether he is right or wrong comes only when the oil is found or not found. Like medicine, geology has developed many ingenious was of scanning the subsurface of the earth, such as sending down seismic shocks and deducing the density of the rocks by the echo. But after all this ‘X-raying’ and laboratory work, you still must drill to know for sure if your surmise was correct.”

After the passing of his wife, Berneice in 1982, Marvin married Wynell Jordan Jones. Marvin & Wynell lived in Roswell until her death in 2012.

During his life Marvin enjoyed camping and fishing with family, spending summer vacations at the lake fishing and water skiing. He traveled to numerous countries, including a trip to China and the Great Wall of China in his 80th year. He was very active in the Roswell Elks Lodge for many years and was a lifetime member.

Marvin was predeceased by his parents, his younger brothers Beurah Alfred Gross and Gerald (Jerry) D. Gross Sr., and by his stepdaughter Jackie Janette Jones Schaefer.

He is survived by his daughters and their families – Diane Coston of Roswell, NM; Donna Priest of Albuquerque, NM; and Dorothy and Jeff Martin of Roswell, NM. He was Papaw to 9 grandchildren: Dena Coston, Chad Martin and fiancée Renee Craig, Eric Martin and wife Katie, Cheri Coston Casanova and husband AJ, Valerie Alaniz Elmore and husband Joey, Nichole Coston Hall and husband Taylor, Kyle Martin and wife Michelle, Dennis Alaniz and wife Rose, and Levi Martin and wife Anna; 22 great-grandchildren, 1 great-great granddaughter, and 1 great granddaughter on the way. He is survived by his youngest brother, Jim Gross and his wife Phyllis of Mount Olive, Alabama, and numerous nieces and nephews. He is also survived by one stepdaughter and her family – Joyce Jeaniece (Casey) Jones Zynda and her husband Rick of Madison, WI, and their two daughters Beth Bortz and Laura Kostrub and her husband Andy, along with 4 grandchildren and Casey’s brother-in-law Dough Schaefer.

He says a very dear good-bye to his sweet friend, Bettye Lou Wooten of Roswell NM.

We send our very sincere thank you to all of the care givers at Visiting Angels who cared for our dad with loving kindness during his last two years, and Kindred Hospice that looked after our dad during his final days.

Pallbearers will be his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.