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Dr.
Van Holls Grosse
March
24, 1942 – January 28, 2002 |
Dr.
Van Holls Grosse, 59, of Columbus, Georgia, died Monday, January 28,
2002. After living many years with progressive chronic liver disease,
he now rests peacefully in the arms of The Great Physician. Although
friends and family mourn his loss, they rejoice in his Triumphant
Homecoming. His wife Linnea Hallonquist Grosse survives him.
Van
was born March 24, 1942, in Monroe, Louisiana, the son of Dorothy
Holls Grosse and the late Vernon C. Grosse, Sr. He was the second
oldest of five children and grew up in the Tuscaloosa, Alabama area.
He was a 1960 graduate of Holt High School, Holt, Alabama.
Van
attended the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa where he earned a
Bachelor of Science degree and a Master of Science degree in
Bacteriology. While working on his Masters he taught Biology at
Walker College in Jasper, Alabama. He continued his education at the
University of Georgia in Athens, serving as a Graduate Teaching
Assistant in General Biology and earning a Doctoral degree in Microbiology.
Prior
to joining the faculty of Columbus College/Columbus State University
(CSU), he worked as a Research Biologist for Hayes International and
Teledyne-Brown at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
Van
was a Professor of Biology at CSU where he taught courses in General
Biology, Microbiology and Bioethics, and advised pre-professional
majors. In his twenty-seven years of service at CSU he taught many
students who went on to become doctors, nurses, dental hygienists,
respiratory technologists, pharmacists, other health care
professionals and teachers. Many of those who cared for him during
his hospitalization were former students, for which he was grateful.
Van
was a community leader in public health education awareness and
advocacy, having served with the former AIDS Community Task Force and
the current Ryan-White Consortium.
Van
supported and encouraged science education among Middle School and
High School students of the area by directing the Greater Columbus
Science and Engineering Fair for many years. He enjoyed visiting in
local classrooms to share his love of learning with students. His
most recent visit was with science classes at Mother Mary Mission in
Phenix City, Alabama.
Van
was a life-long Lutheran and an active member of St. Matthew
Evangelical Lutheran Church, where he served on the Church Council,
chaired the Stewardship Committee, and taught the Adult Forum. He was
a past board member for Lutheran Ministries of Georgia.
Van's
life's work was teaching; whatever he set his hand to, he naturally
assumed the role of teacher and mentor. He leaves behind a rich
legacy of lives that he touched: students, colleagues, friends and
family all felt his influence. He loved CSU, its faculty, staff and
students; he was devoted to his family, immediate and extended; his
deep love of The Lord and The Church sustained him in all things. Van
would like to be remembered as a caring teacher and mentor, a loving
friend and family member, a Child of God, and a Man of Faith. Van is
at peace and would wish that the Peace of God, which surpasses all
human understanding, be with our hearts and minds. He would say to
us, "Go in Peace! Serve the Lord!" And we should respond,
"Thanks be to God!"
Memorial
gifts in remembrance of Van may be made to the Columbus State
University Biology Department; St. Matthew Evangelical Lutheran
Church (designated for Fund for Leaders in Mission or Lutheran
Ministries of Georgia); or the AIDS Special Fund of the Columbus
Health Department. |
