Louise Aureli Gross, 73, of Pine Bluff, died at her home on Monday, November 16, 2020. She was delightfully welcomed by her parents Louis and Stella Pieroni Aureli and her sister Gloria on February 11, 1947 in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Louise grew up in a large Italian extended family with many aunts and uncles and more cousins than can be counted.

Louise received her early education in Pine Bluff, graduated from Pine Bluff High School, and completed cosmetology school in 1965. She began her career as a hair stylist in 1967 serving the beautification of Pine Bluff’s women for more than four decades. She was deeply loved and valued by her clients. She retired in 2019 from Diane’s Beauty Salon. After retirement, she relished an active social life with her family and friends. Most mornings she began her day with a phone call to her best friend and older sister asking, “Where are we going today?” and then the two would head off to breakfast and set out on their day’s journey. The sisters were the closest of friends and separated only in death.

She met Ellis James “Jim” Gross through mutual friends. He was the love of her life, and they spent 52 happy years together. The two enjoyed trips to Branson with extended family. When Louise became a mother, she was thrilled to have a daughter, Jamie. She was a selfless mother and loved taking shopping trips with Jamie, while the boys were away hunting.

The pinnacle event in Louise’s life was becoming a grandmother. She adored her grandson, John. She was proud of him from the first moment she held him until the last encounter when she awarded him for making good grades.

Louise was a lifelong member of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Pine Bluff and a member of the Altar Society. Her presence was felt each week in mass alongside her family. She had committed to the sacrament of adoration.

She is survived by her loving husband, Jim Gross of Pine Bluff, AR; daughter, Jamie Rankins (Matthew) of Sherwood, AR; sister, Gloria Aureli of Pine Bluff, AR; and grandson, John Rankins of Sherwood, AR. She was preceded in death by her parents, Louis and Stella.

A Mass of Christian burial will be held at 10:00 a.m., Wednesday, January 6, 2021 and will be private due to COVID-19. Friends and family are invited to virtually attend the service via livestream on www.RalphRobinsonandSon.com.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials may be made to St. Joseph Catholic Church, PO Box 7434, Pine Bluff, Arkansas 71611 or to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (https://www.stjude.org/donate)