WOJCIECH ANTONI GROBICKI

GROBICKI, WOJCIECH ANTONI - died peacefully at his home in Knoxville, Tennessee on October 17th, 2012. Mr. Grobicki was born in Grójec, Poland on May 25th, 1924 and grew up on the family estate, Odrzywolek. Mr. Grobicki came from a long and proud Polish heritage with his family history dating to 1476 in the Grobice area of Poland. After World War II, his family escaped from the Russian occupation of Poland, losing all of their property and possessions. Not wanting to be subjugated to the ravages of communism he, his mother, and surviving older brother Jerzy, settled in London, England where he attended college and earned a degree in electrical engineering with honors. During his time in London, he met his wife Hanka, and they were married in 1950. Following his marriage, he moved to Canada where he worked as a licensed Professional Engineer. Subsequently, he accepted a position with TVA in Knoxville, Tennessee, and moved here in 1962 with his wife and two sons, Christopher and Thomas. His daughter Barbara was born in Knoxville. He held a number of positions with increasing responsibilities at TVA as a design engineer rising to the level of Project Engineer M-7. Some of the more notable projects he was involved in included the Paradise generating Plant in Kentucky, Bull Run outside of Knoxville, and Cumberland near Nashville. He also worked in France for TVA inspecting switchgear purchased for their facilities. After working for TVA for 25 years, he retired in 1986. Mr. Grobicki was a lifetime member of The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, a member of the Association of Professional Engineers of Ontario, and a Tennessee licensed engineer. Mr. Grobicki was a parishioner of Sacred Heart Cathedral for 50 years. Post retirement, Mr. Grobicki enjoyed many home building projects at his own home and that of his children. He particularly enjoyed the visits of his six grandchildren and was very proud that he lived to see his great grandson, Grayson. He was an avid computer user and woodworker. He was also a member of the Retired TVA Association. He was preceded in death by his wife, Hanka Grobicki; his parent, Tadeusz and Józefa Grobicki, and; four brothers, including Jerzy who bravely helped the family flee Poland and later died in Africa. He is survived by his children: Christopher and wife Wendy of Andover, Massachusetts, Thomas and wife Dana of Columbia, Maryland, and Barbara and partner Kraig DeBenedictis of Knoxville, Tennessee. He will also be greatly missed by his grandchildren, Lauren, Michael, Alexandra, Andrzej, Alina and Alden; and his great grandchild, Grayson. Mr. Grobicki was very fond of his many pets, especially his cats, and contributed to a number of animal welfare causes and organizations. He was also an avid follower of politics and spent his last evening watching the presidential debate and cheering on his favorite candidate. A memorial Mass will be held for Wojciech on Friday, October 26th at 10:00 am with a reception to follow at Sacred Heart Cathedral, 711 S. Northshore Drive. He will be interred on a later date at Highland Memorial Cemetery in a private ceremony. In lieu of flowers please send donations to the Humane Society of the Tennessee Valley http://humanesocietytennessee.com/. He was loved by many and will be sorely missed by his many family members throughout the world. The family would like to thank everyone who helped him and provided comfort in the last six months of his life, especially his caregivers and the many kind people at UT Hospital and Holston Rehabilitation Center who took an interest in his care. Please sign Mr. Grobicki's online register book at www.highlandmemorialparks.com. Highland Memorial Funeral Home, 5315 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919. 865-588-0567.