Crocheting Hats is an Act of Service
Learning a new skill when you are in your late 80s sounds daunting, but for Mary Gross, it was a chance to make a difference in her community. Mary, a resident of the Warwick Forest Assisted Living Facility in Newport News, took up crocheting decades after her grandmother had tried to teach her the skill. Now she spends about four hours a day crocheting hats for newborns at Riverside Hospital and has made hundreds of them.
Dawn Chappell, branch manager, and Dawn Travis, branch operations manager, enjoy welcoming Mary when she comes in. “She’s been a member for many years, and we love seeing her each time she visits,” says Dawn Travis. “She is an inspiration to all of us.”
Thank you, Mary, for all you do to make Hampton Roads a great place to live!
Mary Gross has knitted hundreds of hats for newborn babies at Riverside Hospital. 
Mary stopped by the Oyster Point office early last year to surprise Toni Parker, now retired from TowneBank, with a hat she made for Toni's grandson. Toni had donated several skeins of yarn to Mary.