"Hey Ira ? sorry we didn?t have a chance to do a BNO and catch up ? enjoyed working with you at ECG ? we had a lot of fun and made some $$ together. Glad you enjoyed driving the 68 firebird convertible and taking care of it for me. You will be missed. your ole buddy James"
In loving memory of
Ira Mark Gross
October 16, 1956 - August 5, 2020
Ira Mark Gross, devoted husband, father, brother, son and friend, died unexpectedly on Wednesday, August 5, 2020.
Ira was born in Brooklyn, NY on October 16, 1956. He grew up in Merrick, New York, and graduated from JFK High School. Ira then studied accounting at University of Arizona, where he met some of the best friends of his life.
While living in Houston running an auto salvage business, Ira met his match in future wife, Lisa Stelly, New Yorker meets Louisiana Cajun. Ira and Lisa married on October 23, 1999, after his surprise proposal on Valentine's Day earlier that year with a Monte Cristo cigar band at Pappa's Steakhouse. Together, Ira and Lisa enjoyed a life filled with fireworks, love and happiness.
Ira was passionate about multi-family real estate. Since 2005, he was dedicated to providing homes for families in the Houston community through the apartments he purchased, improved, and operated via his company, Integrity Asset Management. Ira exemplified the word Integrity. His honesty, kindness and loyalty were recognized and valued by his employees, colleagues and investors.
Ira was a devoted husband and a loving and involved dad. No matter how busy his work schedule was, he made time for numerous leadership roles with Boy Scout Troop 599, including mentoring his son Andrew in achieving Eagle Scout rank and was currently doing the same for his son Alex. Ira was an active member of the Houston Apartment Association for several years and was a dedicated member of their Board of Directors. He was also a participating associate with Lifestyles Unlimited, fulfilling the roles of an active Lead Partner while mentoring other members.
Ira's friends and family will fondly remember him as a consummate host and an epic entertainer at his house in Galveston where he loved to fish, boat, jet ski, grill, boil crawfish and fire up his smoker and his blender. The bay house was a fulfilled life-long dream of his, and was always filled with happy voices and lots of laughter.
Ira was preceded in death by his parents, Stanley and Pearl Gross; father-in law, Jimmy Stelly; sister-in-law, Jamie Koss, and brother-in-law, Craig Stelly. Ira is survived by his wife, Lisa; his two sons, Andrew and Alex; mother-in-law, Margaret Stelly; sisters-in-law, Tina Richard and Vickie Meche and her husband Billy; nieces and nephews, Lance Stelly and fiancé Amanda and their daughter Ryleigh, Mitchell Lagneaux and fiancé Jen Ly, Michael Lagneaux and his wife Amber, Monique Guidry and her husband Jude, Ferin Meche and her son Hunter, Zak and Zoe Katzenellenbogen; and sister, Fran Katzenellenbogen (Mark).
A private funeral service for Ira will be held on Tuesday, August 11, 2020.
In lieu of flowers and food the Gross family gratefully requests that desired memorial donations in Ira's name be made to St Jude's Children's Hospital https://www.stjude.org/ Boy Scouts of America - Houston Troop 599 https://www.scouttroop599.org/ or Small Steps Nurturing Center https://ssnc.org/
Ira was a dedicated family man, a big-hearted and trust-worthy friend, and an all-around larger than life guy. He will be deeply missed by his family and friends.
Tributes
"Ira was a good friend and colleague. In the real estate business, you will disagree with most of you closest friends on lots of issues, but Ira was different. He never argued, he always listened humbly first, responded after he thought through the issue, and wasn?t afraid to say, ?I don?t know?. Too many people in our business take hard stands when they haven?t thought through the situation, or let their egos drive their rhetoric. It was a pleasure to watch Ira speak to a group, or an individual, because the way he connected with people was captivating to witness. All too often, we find ourselves driven by our financial goals, egos, and/or personal desires, Ira was a testament to the fact that you can achieve success without sacrificing your family, friends and the ability to give back. I wish there were more Ira Grosses in this world, who will be remembered by the hole they leave in people?s lives when they pass. It?s the depth and size of the hole that is a testament to Ira?s influence on us all. "
"I met Ira and his family several years ago when Julien and Alex were in the same Cub Scout pack. From then through all the good times we shared in troop 599, Ira was always upbeat and a pleasure to be around. The true ?life of the party? I will never forgot his immense generosity when he and his family let us stay with them for several days when Hurricane Harvey hit Houston. We will be forever thankful and it is just one small example of Ira?s willingness to always help those around him. He will truly be missed."
"I?m I had the privilege of getting to know Ira when our paths crossed in the multi-family community for a few years. He was brilliant, he was kind - and his smile and laugh were contagious. Any one who knew Ira knew how much he loved Lisa, Andrew and Alex. They were his everything. RIP Ira Gross and thanks one last time for those flowers. "
"Dear Lisa and boys- I was so saddened to hear of Ira's passing. I knew him through the troop, as our son Kellan Eagled through the troop as well, and I always remember Ira as being kind, warm, and so welcoming to us, as newer members of the scout community. He had a great laugh, and a huge personality. I am so sorry for your loss. I read through so many of the condolences here, and none of these kind words surprised me. My sincere condolences to you all. Best wishes, Raquel Cerveny and our son, Kellan"
"Ira Gross was one of the nicest, most generous men I have known. He gave of his time to my class, not just giving a lecture about real estate investing, but taking the kids on a field trip to show them the finer points of investing with integrity. I loved my conversations with him. And his sons are both two of my favorite students, so I know what a wonderful father he was. He will be sorely missed by all of us who knew him. My heart goes out to Lisa, Andrew and Alex as they navigate their loss. "
"We are so so sorry for your loss. Our thoughts are with you and Andrew and Alex."
"Ira's passion to be a great father and husband was obvious to us as teachers at his sons' school. I also got to witness his heart for teaching others when he spent valuable time with students in teaching them some fundamentals of multi-family real-estate, and he even led them on a tour of some of his apartments. Ira impressed me as an open, caring, intelligent individual, and he will be missed."
"Ira was a wonderful and joyful person. He ALWAYS had a smile on his face and genuinely cared for those around him. He gave freely of his time and energy as exemplified by his role in leading the annual Troop 599 greenery sales for several years running. Ira was always talking about how proud he was of Andrew and Alex in Boy Scouts, in school, and in life. He was so excited that Andrew recently earned Eagle Scout and was looking forward to taking him to college for his next big adventure. Ira was also a friend and mentor to many of the boys in the troop and had a special connection with our son David. We will miss Ira's infectious smile, his energy, and his joy for life. Ira leaves an incredible legacy that Lisa, Andrew, and Alex will carry forward! Martin, Jennifer, David, & Michael Mohr"
"So sorry for your loss. Alex and Andrew are an incredible legacy, and their teachers feel lucky to have them as students and to have known Ira. "
"Sincere condolence to the family. My prayers is with you. - Edna Thompson-"
"Ira was such a great big personality and we shared much of our children's lives together. We remember School of the Woods with Andrew and our son Zachary. They were Scouts together at Troop 599. Now they are both off to McCombs School of Business at UT together. Each step of the way Ira was showing me what a great role model and father looked like. His smile was infectious. We only wish we spent more time with him at the beach. Ira was also an inspiration for us to join the same real estate mentoring organization. You will be missed Ira Gross!"
"I was privileged to speak with Ira the Tuesday before his passing, he was so happy but sad to send his son off to college. He told me that after they cried together he told him that he had to go and the next 4 years were going to be the best part of his life. He also told me that him and Lisa were going to cry all the way home after dropping him off. He always called me his Board Buddy and we always discussed family and how blessed we were. Ira you are going to be so missed. "
"Ira meant the world to me. He was more than a client, he was a mentor and was a brother to me. We would talk almost every week for at least an hour. A little about business but mostly about life and our boys. I will miss these conversations and his insights on life. He pushed me to become diversified and never settle for anything less. I will cherish our time together and I will follow his advice for the rest of my life. Thank you Ira for being a part of my life. Your legacy will forever carry on. "
"The Williams family sends prayers and condolences to all of you. Ira was a good person. He will be missed by the Troop and everyone he came in contact with. "
"My sincere condolences to the family. I didn't know Ira, but I do know Lisa and the boys and from what I heard, he was a great parent to the Post Oak community. I'm sure he is and will be greatly missed.
-Tiffney Trimble"
"Ira was the most honest and most successful lead partner on real estate deals I have ever seen. His hard work and attention to detail were unbelievable. His investors were very fortunate to have invested with him. He was also a dear friend and will be sorely missed. "
"Ira was stalwart throughout our forty years of friendship. He inspired others to be strong, generous, tolerant and loving. Laughter, the love of family and friends was his beacon and simple lesson for all. Rest in peace good friend."
"Ira Gross was very genuine and a truly caring man . Ira would smile ear to ear when talking about his wife Lisa and sons - the passion that he had for Life and all the people Surrounding Him was undeniable . Ira will be missed greatly by his HAA Family and I feel Blessed to have spent the time learning from him over the years and the Honor of calling him my friend . Peace and condolences to his family and everyone that was Blessed with his presence . Janet Cary "
"Ira Gross was one of the first people to welcome us to the Post Oak High School. His integrity, conversation and discussion was enjoyed by my husband at parent events. May his sons carry with them the authenticity he demonstrated. In peace and prayer, The Townsend Family"
"I came to know Ira through the Apartment Association. He was a kind, considerate and generous man. Generous with his time, advice, productive thoughts and opinions. He loved his family, his employees and valued his work and what he was accomplishing. He was well respected and liked by everyone. His presence will be missed. "
"Mr. Gross was our biggest art car fan and helped us to get our first car to begin the art car program at our school (The Post Oak School, High School). Any time he passed us working on its various iterations over the years, he graced us with his encouragement and contagious, always appreciated laughs. He will be missed. Peace and condolences to his family, loved ones and all who had the honor of knowing him. "