Robert H. "Bob" Groh

1922 - 2021

Robert H. "Bob" Groh, 98, died Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021.

He was born Jan. 17, 1922, in Wilkes-Barre.

He was predeceased by his parents, Goldie C. Groh and Harry A. Groh; by his wife, Ruth Sicherman Groh; and by his daughter, Ellen Groh Fischer.

Bob attended the public schools of Wilkes-Barre until moving with his parents to Binghamton, N.Y., in 1936. He graduated from then Binghamton Central High School. During World War II, Bob enlisted in the U.S. Army Signal Corps, serving as an instructor in Camp Crowder, Missouri, in military communications and then as an active radio operator in the China-Burma-India Pacific theatre, serving in Calcutta, India, and Kunming and Shanghai, China.

Bob attended RCA Institute in New York City and received his Radio Telephone First Class FCC License. He was employed for many years in local broadcasting stations, and also as a technician in local industry. For all of his adult life, Bob was an active and enthusiastic amateur radio operator, with the call sign W2VLJ, and later W2IFA. He communicated with over 250 other Ham radio stations worldwide and was prominent in local Ham Radio circles.

Bob and his wife, Ruth, were beloved members of Beth David Synagogue for many years, where he was made a lifetime member of its board of trustees, and of The Senior Friendship Club of the Jewish Community Center. During his younger years, Bob was a leader in the Center Boy Scout Troop 36, having retained his interest in the Boy Scouts since his early years in Wilkes-Barre, where he enjoyed attending scout camp in the Pocono mountains in the summers. Bob retired from the U.S. Postal Service in 1988 after 30 years of service as a clerk.

Bob was laid to rest next to his beloved wife, Ruth, of 62 years, in Binghamton, N.Y.

He is survived by his daughter, Sharon Groh-Mintz, Providence, R.I.; his three grandchildren, Abigail Mintz Romirowsky, Orli Mintz and Michael Mintz; and his growing number of great-grandchildren.

Donations in Bob's memory may be made to Beth David Synagogue (http://www.bethdavid.org/), or to Fall River Jewish Home (https://www.fallriverjewishhome.org/), where he and his wife both received loving care for the final years of their lives.