Three Oaks Village President David Grosse, 73, was born and raised in the village he leads. He was elected village president in 2008 and said that he is grateful for the opportunity to serve his community. He resides in Three Oaks, which he calls “one of the best places to live,” with his wife, Brenda. David has three daughters, two of whom live in California and one who lives in Mishawaka.
What is your favorite part about being the Three Oaks village president?
The people. That is what the government is all about, helping people. I enjoy working with so many great people in the area.
What makes Michiana home to you?
I think it is just the people — they are friendly, and they are helpful. Three Oaks is a nice, small town, with good people, and the whole area is pretty much like that. And though it’s a small town, if you want to go to a big city, it is only a short drive away. It’s just a good place to live.
How do you think being born and raised in Michiana has shaped you as a person?
When you live in a small town and you help each other, it gives you a lot of empathy because you see people who have a lot more than you and people who have a lot less than you. I think you get used to helping people out. It is just the way you do things.
How have you seen Michiana change over the years?
Like for many places, when I was growing up, you used to be able to get everything here. But then the bigger stores came in and the shopping malls, and people started going elsewhere to get things. But now, things have been coming back, and they have been coming back for quite a while.
Now, [Harbor Country] has become a tourist area with a lot of second homeowners and a lot of people coming down for a day or a weekend.
But that has helped because our downtown is thriving.
What do you think makes the Michiana area unique?
I think that it is a great place to come for a family vacation. With the lakes, we have pretty much everything here except for palm trees.
If a tourist came to Michiana for 24 hours, what are some places they need to visit before they leave?
That is a tough one when you have lived here all your life. But they need to go to the Three Oaks Area Museum, and we have a lot of terrific restaurants and a couple of really great libraries in the area. Then, they obviously need to visit the parks and the beach.
