Alfred Groschang

1944 - 2023

Alfred Groschang

April 13, 1944 - November 1, 2023

Lee's Summit, Missouri - Alfred Gerald "Jerry" Groschang was born on April 13, 1944. He grew up in Roslyn, PA and attended Abbington High School. He then went on to John Brown University where he had the highest grade point average in the whole school, and was president of the letterman's club. He was a catcher for their softball team, and although the school was highly conservative, loved to sneak out on the weekends and smoke cigarettes, listen to rock music and dance (none of which were allowed). He met Jonna Gould there and the couple was married in 1967. He completed his degree in physiology that same year. In 1969, Jerry was drafted and the family moved to Frankfurt, Germany, where he worked in the crime lab and son Grant Benjamin was born in 1971. After the war, he returned to the US and worked diligently on graduate and post-graduate studies in Chemistry at UMKC before accepting a job at Veterinary Services Laboratory. Their daughter Sascha Christine was born in 1981. He later worked as a chemist at Marion Labs and Quintiles, serving the scientific community for over 30 years.

He enjoyed fishing and tinkering with his boat down at Truman Lake, wine, fire pits, and carting his daughter to her many lessons and performances. He played the trumpet, spoke German and Latin and was a wonderful photographer. He loved learning, cooking and especially shopping. He taught us all so many valuable life lessons about finishing what you start, being able to talk to anyone even if you feel shy, being yourself, approaching life with humor and working (and playing) hard.

He is survived by his loyal wife Shirley of 33 years, children Sascha and Grant Benjamin, step-children Chris French, Kirsten Macken and Michael French, grandchildren Indigo December and Arrow Reverie Thomas-Groschang, and a multitude of step grandchildren and great-grand children. He is preceded in death by his parents Alfred Gustav Groschang and Eleanor Doris Freed Groschang, and granddaughter Chelsea Cheyenne.