Ernest Joseph Grosso

Ernie, as he was known to his family and friends, was born on May 4th, 1942 to Sophia and Rocco Grosso. Ernie grew up in Syracuse, New York with his three siblings, Leon, Rosemary and Linda and his childhood was spent surrounded by many aunts, uncles and cousins. He loved to tell stories of delivering newspapers as a child; his favorite was delivering them in the snow, coming home and climbing under the table in the hallway next to the radiator to warm up and often falling asleep before having to go back out to school.

Ernie graduated from Le Moyne College in 1963 and briefly taught high school Chemistry before joining the US Royal Navy. His time in the Navy was spent as a Lieutenant on a supply ship during the Vietnam War.

The Navy also took Ernie to San Diego where he met his wife, Linda. The two met at a Naval Officers dance in December 1966, and they married six months later on June 10, 1967. They moved to Seattle briefly before settling in Walnut Creek, California where Ernie enrolled in Optometry School at the University of California, Berkeley. It was here that the couple’s first two children, Matthew and Scott, were born. After returning to San Diego, the couple had their third child, Kelly, and settled in Santee; it was here that Ernie opened his optometry office where he practiced for 40 years. Ernie and Linda were married for 53 years before Linda passed away in September 2020.

Travel was a keen interest of Ernie’s, and he and Linda enjoyed many skiing trips, weekends in Palm Springs, and visits to New York in the summers. They also travelled to Italy on a number of occasions as well as to England after their daughter moved there.

Ernie became an ordained Deacon in the Catholic Church in 1995, a vocation he was very proud of and continued to perform until the year before he passed. During his time as a Deacon, Ernie performed many baptisms and marriages, and he was very proud of the work he and Linda did with Evenings for the Engaged, guiding and advising young couples preparing for marriage.

Ernie will be missed by his children, Matt, Scott, and Kelly, his son-in-law Stuart, and his grandchildren Lilly, Isla and Noah.

A memorial mass will be held on Monday, February 7th at 10 am at the Mission San Diego de Alcala. All are welcome to attend. And, a Committal Service with Military Honors will be held at Miramar National Cemetery on Monday, February 28, 2022 at 9:30 am.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.goodbodymortuary.com for the Grosso family.