My friend Larissa Gross, who has died aged 35 of breast cancer, was an engineer specialising in sustainable energy policy, latterly working at the climate change thinktank E3G in London. She was known for her dry humour, loyalty and commitment to a better world.
A Canadian by birth, Larissa made the UK her home for the past 10 years, but continued travelling internationally, sharing her expertise in energy transition.
Born in rural Manitoba, Larissa was the daughter of Jennifer Thompson, a nurse, and Zack Gross, an international development worker and university lecturer. Surrounded by farming and fishing communities, and her parents’ guests from across the world, she was environmentally aware from a young age.
After attending Gimli high school, Larissa studied engineering at Carleton University in Ottawa, where she joined Engineers Without Borders, taking her to an internship in Malawi, and, after graduating in 2012, development work in Kenya and Uganda. In 2014 she set up a consultancy with colleagues called the Pollen Group, which supported economic development in countries across Africa and south Asia. In 2017 she moved to the UK to pursue a master’s degree and research post in energy policy at Sussex University.
She began working at E3G as a research manager in 2019, later becoming programme lead in energy transition. In London, she met my friend Ben Butler, and they began dating. Our friendship group all became close to Larissa very quickly.
Despite her professional interest in cooling and sustainable energy, secretly she was an extraordinary log-fire builder, and her skills became legendary among us on a trip to Northumberland in 2023. It wasn’t quite as cold as Manitoba, but nippy enough to justify a phenomenal display of her pyrotechnic talents.
In the summer of 2024, Larissa started becoming tired, and experiencing pain in her hip. A 111 call led to a hospital visit, and a diagnosis of stage-4 breast cancer.
Larissa was a brilliant friend with a delightful sense of humour. Her counsel was incomparably wise, and she gave much love and support to others, even throughout her illness. When cancer made it hard to pursue passions such as hiking and travelling, she found other ways to spend quality time with people, such as her “Chemo Club”, whereby those who took turns to accompany Larissa to treatments got to enjoy hours of conversations ranging from the silly to heartfelt. She relished fun with her nieces, Surah and Maxine, whether in person or online from across the Atlantic.
Last March, friends and family members travelled from far and wide to celebrate her 35th birthday, and in October, Larissa married Ben. He survives her, as do her parents and her siblings, Zoe and Ben.
