Colleen Ann Chambers

Colleen Ann Gross Chambers, 92, was the 4^th child of John and Catherine Berberich Gross.  She was born at home on the Gross family farm east of Greenville, Iowa on May 29, 1931.   

She was raised near Greenville, Iowa and attended Gillette Grove grade school and High school until her father retired from farming in 1947. She and her sister, Lillian, moved with their parents to Spencer where Colleen graduated from High School in 1949.  One of her disappointments in that move was that Spencer did not have a girls basketball program.  Basketball was a sport in which Colleen excelled at Gillette Grove. Later in life, those same athletic skills were put to use in her passion for golf.  

After graduation Colleen received training in accounting and she continued in this field most of her adult life.  She worked for many years in the business office of The Spencer Daily Reporter. Colleen also worked for Midwest Printing, and then became a manager for National-Spencer Inc

She and her sister Lillian continued living with their parents until Colleen built a house on Pleasant Lane in Spencer.  Both Colleen and Lillian were very social people who entertained and travelled extensively.

In an unusual move for that time, the two sisters purchased apartment buildings on either side of Grand Avenue and they managed those 2 properties for over a decade.

Later, Colleen purchased a lake house on West Lake Okoboji and loved spending time there and enjoyed it even more when she met and married Bill Chambers, long time golf coach at Spencer High School. Their happy marriage took place August 15, 1982.  Bill loved the lake as much as Colleen.  Sadly, Bill passed away in April of 2008.

Colleen was an extradinary gardener and a cook without peer. Her apple pies were raved about by all who were lucky enough to partake of one. Colleen had a lifelong love of animals and she had many beloved pets including a dog she named ‘You Too’ and her poodle named ‘Gigi’ and a pet fox.

Colleen was preceded in death by her parents, her brothers Raymond and Harold, her sister Lillian and nephew Jerry.