Longtime attorney Howard Gross died May 16 at 97. Courtesy photo

Longtime Connecticut estate planning and business law attorney Howard Gross died at his home in West Hartford. He was 97.

Friends and colleagues described him as an attorney whose word was his bond, and who enjoyed being a private pilot, listening to classical and jazz music, and traveling the world with his family.

A World War II veteran, Gross was a member of the Connecticut bar for 58 years, and kept working until he was 87 years old. His last stint was for the now-dissolved Farmington firm of Levy & Droney, where he'd worked 23 years.

"He was a gentleman's gentleman," said Dan Kleinman, who worked with Gross from 1981 to 1987 at the now-defunct Stoner, Gross, Chorches, Lapuk and Kleinman, and then at Levy & Droney from 1987-2010. "He was always, always impeccably dressed. He was a throwback of my image of the practice of law. He'd wear a searsucker suit with white buck shoes in the summer, and he always had a handkerchief."

Kleinman, a partner with Hinckley, Allen & Snyder in Hartford, continued: "He was well-spoken, but soft-spoken, and had a fierce loyalty to his clients, and they were loyal to him."

Attorney Coleman Levy, who now owns a legal concierge consulting practice, knew Gross for four decades. The two worked together at Levy & Droney, where Gross specialized in estate planning and business law.

"Howard's legacy was the manner in which he always conducted himself," Levy said Tuesday. "He was an advocate for his position as your lawyer without being irrational and unreasonable. He understood that you don't take things too seriously."

John Droney, who also worked with Gross at Levy & Droney, echoed his peers in calling Gross "an old-fashioned gentleman."

"He mentored fellow lawyers, and you could rely on his word," Droney said. "His reputation was excellent, and his word was his bond."

Gross, though, was more than just a mentor and a lawyer, his friends said. They said he had a zest for life which was evident after just one conversation with him.

"He had such an infectious smile and when he spoke to you, you were the most important person in the room," said Kleinman, who noted Gross loved good food, wine, theater, opera and jazz.

"He'd often visit this jazz club across from the Washington Street courthouse in Hartford," Kleinman said. "He'd regularly go there to listen to the music. He also loved to fly and travel. He took pleasure taking trips with his daughters and granddaughters."

Droney, a partner at Hinckley Allen, said Gross also enjoyed going to the Hartford Gun Club.

"He liked to shoot handguns at the club, and I did that with him a few times," Droney said. "We'd also go to political events together. I was very involved in Democratic politics. Even though he was a conservative with Republican leanings, he attended with me. Back then, you could have different political views and respect each other and be friendly with each other. That's not the case today."

Droney said Gross was a mentor to him.

"He fought in World War II, and I fought in Vietnam," Droney said. "We had a bond as veterans who fought for their country overseas. He also set an example for me as to how a lawyer should act, and that was to be honorable and to keep your word."

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