Born on September 13, 1945, in Cuba, Lee was the son of Lindsey A. and Helen N. Greene Gross who preceded him in death. He and Elizabeth Ann Little were married on November 25, 1970 at the Cuba First Baptist Church and were preparing to celebrate their fiftieth wedding anniversary this fall.

Lee was a graduate of Cuba Central School (’63) then served in the United States Navy from 1964-67; portions of that time fondly remembered aboard the USS Ranger and being stationed in Hawaii. After an honorable discharge and being awarded the National Defense Service Medal, Lee attended Alfred State College and graduated with a degree in Industrial Technology. He remained a proud supporter of the college until his passing. Lee retired from Verizon in 2005 after working 35 years as a Field Technician.

Lee was an active member of the Cuba Drift Busters snowmobile club and most recently served as the organization’s vice president. He assisted with meetings, chicken BBQs, trail work and signing, but especially enjoyed grooming trails each winter. Lee’s other interests included reading, puzzles, gardening, working in his shop, riding ATVs, working on his property, and he rarely missed an afternoon hike. A special passion of Lee’s was to spend evenings at the Cuba Library searching old issues of The Patriot for interesting bits of history and recording obituaries for the library’s records. Lee was also a life member of the Cuba American Legion Post 655.

In addition to being married to Ann, Lee was the proud father of Casey (Melissa) Gross of Livonia and Bradley Gross of Cuba; loving grandfather of Cullen Gross and Declan Gross; and brother of Diane (Sidney) Emmons of Orchard Park. He is also survived by several nieces and nephews.

Due to the unprecedented circumstances related to the ongoing pandemic there will be no services at this time. A memorial service is planned and will be announced when gatherings can again be held. Memorials may be made to Cuba Drift Busters, P.O. Box 11 Cuba, NY 14727 and the Cuba Circulating Library, 39 East Main Street, Cuba, NY 14727.