On June 3, 2021, Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries lost a strong supporter and former board member with the passing of Larry Gross. Larry first joined our board in November, 2008 and served in that capacity for six years, until November of 2014. Larry and his wife Anna became supporters of Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries in the early 2000s. After the Gross’s son and daughter-in-law were tragically killed in a car accident in 1998, Larry and Anna became guardians of their granddaughter. They recognized the need for Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries, as not all children have parents or grandparents who are able to provide a safe home.
Larry Gross’s most notable support came through his work after he came on as a board member. He believed our annual Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries Golf Tournament was capable of raising much more funding for children than what it was, and he spent years working diligently to turn it into one of our largest annual fundraising events.
Larry and Anna’s commitment and gifts to the work and mission of Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries played a part in providing a Safe Place to Be a Child to countless children, and will be felt for generations.
Larry’s obituary stated, “Larry was a generous soul to everyone. His legacy will be followed out in the lives he touched along his time here on earth. Whether you saw him on the golf course, at the bank or the grocery store he would inevitably stop to chat and ask you about your life. His kindness and humor were staples for his everyday life and his generosity extended far beyond pleasantries. Larry was an avid supporter of Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries, Christian Fellowship School, Boy Scouts, Vitae, Rainbow House, Sinclair School of Nursing, The Crossing, Primrose Hill and many others.”
Some of our staff, and current and former board members, had this to say about Larry Gross:
When I think of my friend Larry Gross, I remember his excitement for the Annual Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries Golf Tournament and his ability to call his golf buddies and tell them they would be sponsoring and playing in the fundraiser! I remember his many years of involvement in the Golf Tournament. His goal was to greatly increase the sponsorship and participation going forward, and he did.
He loved Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries and the ministry it provided to KIDS! He served on the Board of Directors and was very diligent in that role for many years. He and his wife Anna always played an active role in supporting and helping make Boots and Bids a great success every year. He was a gracious gentleman and set a great example for us all. You will be missed, my friend!
~~Pete Cummings, board member
Larry always brought a positive attitude to our board meetings. He helped promote our fundraising projects for Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries personally and with his many contacts in and around Columbia.
~~Wayne Walker, former board member
I was at an MU basketball game, sitting in a suite, when I met Larry for the first time. It was an immediate connection. I couldn’t even tell you who MU played or who won. Larry and I talked for three hours before I finally realized I was being sized up and interviewed. Because of that, I was lucky and fortunate enough to start an incredible friendship with Larry, his family and Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries. All three have blessed my life with being able to witness and observe their love and generosity for others. It truly was a God thing meeting Larry at that MU basketball game. It was something I needed in my life at that moment, and I owe it to Larry!
~~Kevin Brown, former board member
“Some of my favorite memories working with Larry are delivering envelopes and registration forms to his home for him to personally sign and mail to friends and colleagues. He believed within his core that Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries was doing essential work for children, so everyone else should be a part of it too.”
~~Kari Hopkins, Chief Development Officer
“The impact of Larry Gross on Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries and our services to children from hard places has been extraordinary and invaluable. His leadership of the annual golf tournament not only made it possible for us to help more children in need, but his walking alongside us through the years made us better people and the community of Columbia a better place.”
~~Larry McDaniel, Founder and Chief Executive Officer
