Barbara Jean (Bragg) Gross was born on December 30, 1934, in Bixby, Oklahoma, the youngest of four daughters to Pontha Deleon and Mary Effie (Oakley) Bragg, and passed away on November 25, 2022, in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Funeral services will begin 2:30 p.m. Friday, December 2, 2022 at the Strode Funeral Home Chapel. Interment will follow at Sunset Memorial Gardens.
Barbara graduated from Depew High School in 1952 and moved to Stillwater to attend Oklahoma A&M (Oklahoma State University). While working at the Bryan Motor Company she met a quiet but well-liked Oldsmobile enthusiast, Fred P. Gross, and they married in June 1954, raising their family in Stillwater.
While their daughters were growing up, she ensured they learned valuable home and workplace life skills for their futures. She enjoyed sewing for her family and others and was an excellent seamstress, creating everything from baby clothing to dance costumes to wedding dresses. In 1971, Barbara returned to work full-time, first with the OSU Ag Extension office and then at the State Department of Vo-Tech (CareerTech) until her retirement in 1994.
She enjoyed creating photo scrapbook albums that documented the life and times around each family member. She was a crazy quilt designer and creator and loved fabrics with their endless possibilities. She was diligent and unrelenting in researching her family history and genealogy, some as far back at the mid-1600s, and left behind a wealth of information for generations to come. Through each of these endeavors she made many, many friends with the same passions.
Barbara is preceded in death by her parents, her lifetime love and husband Fred in 2019, her three sisters LeeOra Clark, Neosho Matlock, and Juanita Wharton, and beloved nephew Nelson Matlock.
She is survived by her daughters, Janet Cooper of Stillwater and Carol Shuler (Paul) of Austin, Texas; grandchildren Jeff Bays (Mackenzie) of Tulsa; Amy Kaiser (Derrick); Jennifer O’Grady (Sean) and Ryan Cooper (Bailey) and their father Doug Cooper, all of Stillwater; Adam Shuler (Kristen) of Springfield, Missouri; and Angela Kramer (Kevin) and Audrey Shuler, of Dallas, Texas. She is also survived by 15 great-grandchildren she considered the lights of her life, Eddison, Elliot, Dane, McKenna, Collin, Elijah, Isaiah, Halleigh, Sage, Maddox, Maebre, Mason, Scarlett, Hudson, and Lily.
Mom, Grandma, Granny - gone too soon but remembered forever.
From Janet & Carol
Did you know...
Mom was the youngest of four girls? When she was born, on December 30, 1934, her sisters were 20, 18, and 11. They all said they might have spoiled her a little, but they still made sure she behaved around their boyfriends and husbands. Her family nickname was Bobbie, and we always wished it had stayed with her.
She was a fiercely independent child with an “I can do it myself!” attitude. As an adult, however, she was also a chronic worrier, caring so much about her family, friends, and the world. She often stated, "If I worry enough about it, then it’ll never happen.”
She enjoyed creating scrapbooks that documented the life and times around her. She was a crazy quilt designer and creator and loved fabrics with their endless possibilities. She was diligent and unrelenting in researching her family history and genealogy, some as far back at the mid-1600s, and left behind a wealth of information for generations to come. Through each of these endeavors she made many, many friends with the same passions.
She was known to say, “better save that, it might come in handy someday." Mom was also an avid reader, cat lover, bird enthusiast, and believed that trees are some of the best things in the world.
She was not just a finance bookkeeper and payroll specialist, but a wonderful mentor and highly respected for her kindness and integrity wherever she worked.
Some of her favorite things were family both near and far, holding a baby's hands and feet and the sound of laughter. She adored all baby animals, dogs if they were not hers, birds, butterflies, clouds and chocolate-pecan ice cream. She delighted in flowers, especially daffodils, iris, tiger lilies, and crepe myrtle - things that needed "just enough care" to survive beautifully year after year.
She loved visiting libraries, shopping at thrift stores, reading, crocheting, embroidery, and her school reunions.
She was a faithful wife and companion, a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She was a willing listener with an open mind who always wanted to learn, and a thoughtful decision maker who liked to mull things over in her head for a while first. Mom was a loyal Democrat, a Depression Era daughter, and a serious protector of long-time friendships. She would likely say her years in 4-H, her marriage, and her daughters were her greatest accomplishments.
She always wanted to see what the next day would bring. We think she's doing that to its fullest now.
December 2, 2022