Dr. Peter Gerold Groer

Dr. Peter Gerold Groër, born 1/27/1941, passed away 3/15/2025. Peter leaves his loving wife, Maureen (nee Wimberly), three beloved sons, Peter (Knoxville), Christopher (Knoxville) and Sean (Hixson), and four grandchildren Parker, Pearce, Hadley and Gavin. He was a loyal, proud parent and grandparent with a personality as unique as his life. Born in Vienna, Austria, he suffered the loss of both parents (Franz and Maria Groër) as a young boy in World War 2. He was fostered through the Austrian Social Services system, eventually living with Rosa and August Povolny (Austria) while he finished his education. He was a brilliant student and a superb athlete as a young man, skiing in the Alps and playing basketball. He was a star basketball player for the Austrian National Team, participating in the 1960 and 1964 Olympics and even played against the Harlem Globetrotters when they toured Europe. He turned down opportunities for a professional basketball career to pursue a PhD in theoretical physics at the University of Vienna. While still in Austria, he met an American exchange student, Daniel Crane, who encouraged him to come to the United States. Despite knowing only one other person in the United States, he took a leap of faith and emigrated to this country in search of a new life. He immediately got a position at MIT and began his career in radiation physics. This was followed by appointments at Argonne and Oak Ridge National Laboratories. His career concluded at the Department of Nuclear Engineering at the University of Tennessee where he was granted Professor Emeritus status after he retired in 2005. Peter was an inveterate reader and scholar in mathematics, physics, and philosophy with a (truly) enormous personal library of books. He had great passion for the work of Viennese philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein and the logician Kurt Godel, reading avidly until his final days. He loved talking about his favorite scientists and philosophers with anyone who would listen. Later in life he accumulated an endless supply of T-shirts displaying famous philosophical quotes and mathematical formulas. He wore them proudly for any occasion. Peter began to play tennis when he moved to the United States and he fell in love with the game. He spent many (many) hours on the tennis court well into his 80's and could often be seen playing with friends at Cedar Bluff Racquet Club or using his personal ball machine at Fox Den Country Club, searching for the perfect topspin backhand. He was particularly proud of the matches he played with his son Christopher in National Senior Father-Son tournaments. The family will receive friends at a service at Click Funeral Home in Farragut on Sunday, 3/23 at 6 pm, followed by a gathering at Fox Den Country Club. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Dr. Peter, please visit our floral store.