Eleanor Gross

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Eleanor Gross, of 116 Hillsboro Parkway, in Syracuse, died on November 19th at the age of 96, leaving behind two sons; Mark of New York City, and Richard of Auburn, and a daughter, Yoheved Polowin of Montreal, Canada; as well as 30 grandchildren; great and great-great grandchildren, all of whom mourn her passing. The funeral was held in Brooklyn, where Eleanor was temporarily residing, so she could be near her grandchildren while recovering from a fractured rib. She is buried in Mt. Hebron cemetery in Flushing, near her uncles, Lazer and Lepkie Funk, and her aunt Ida, whom she used to visit when she was growing up on Georgia Avenue in East New York, around the corner from Fortunoff’s when it was still a five and dime store. Eleanor was a depository of memory, a chronicler of the Jewish community of Syracuse and New York City in stories going back almost a century, and if she exaggerated a little, that was all the more appreciated. Eleanor played violin as a teenager, her accompanist on piano was Gordon McRae, as they had the same music teacher. Eleanor seemed headed for Julliard and a career in music until she met Philip Gross, who was visiting from Milwaukee, and later became the local TV repairman, to whom Eleanor was married for 65 years. As a novice housewife, Eleanor was featured in the “Pie of the month” column in the Syracuse Herald-Journal as shown in the attached photo. Along with her mother, Julia Vann, Eleanor seemed to win a plethora of awards over the years at the New York State Fair for knitting and baking. Eleanor seemed to know everybody. She was also known for her brownies. Ultimately, her real and lasting talent was one of affection, of linking people together in a confederacy of hearts. A memorial service will be held in Syracuse in Spring 2023 www.sisskindfuneralservice.com