Bill Grohmann

1945 - 2025

Bill Grohmann

Amherst, MA - William H. Grohmann, known to all as Bill, was born on April 30, 1945 in Tenafly, NJ and died on December 26, 2025 in hospice in Amherst, MA. Bill had lived at the Applewood retirement community for four years where he was an active member of the community. Raised in New Jersey, Bill received his B.A. from Cornell University and M.A. from Columbia University.

Throughout his life, Bill was politically engaged and passionate about civic activism. After college, he joined the Peace Corps in opposition to the Vietnam War and was stationed in Palau where he taught English and American History. This was a formative time for Bill and he returned many years later with his three children to revisit the country and several of his former colleagues. That time in his life informed his lifelong commitment to progressive causes, which continued in his work in student affairs including advocating for students at Columbia University during the protests of 1968.

After settling in Western Massachusetts, Bill received an M.A. in Social Work from Smith College and began a new career as a psychotherapist. He worked at Bay State Health for a decade and taught at Smith College School of Social Work for several summers, before fully transitioning into full time private practice. He was devoted to his clinical work and long-term clients. He was a lifelong learner and kept well informed about current events. He was passionate about social justice issues and was an avid supporter of his wife Kay Johnson's academic work as a Chinese scholar.

Bill is predeceased by his brother Victor Grohmann, and his wife Kay Johnson. He is survived by his sister Gwen des Cognets of Hanover, NH; his daughter Elena Ritter and her children Molly and Calvin of Denver, CO; his son Jesse Johnson and his wife Mutong Guo of Amherst, MA; and his daughter LiLi Johnson and her husband Andrew Brown and their daughter Darcy of Halifax, Nova Scotia.