Donald J. GROHS

GROHS Donald J., 88, died peacefully in his home in Oakland, NJ on Saturday, September 26, 2009. Don was born in the Bronx to Laura and Kenneth Grohs on June 5, 1921. He was a scholarship student at Regis High School and graduated from Fordham University in 1942. He then enlisted in the Navy and served as a Lieutenant Commander in the South Pacific for the duration of the war and in the U.S. Naval Reserve until 1981. In 1947 he married Therese A. McGuire of the Bronx. The couple moved to New Jersey in 1948 and he worked for Dun and Bradstreet in Newark, retiring in 1983. During that time he coached and umpired for Little League Baseball in Oakland and served as the town's Recreation Commissioner for two years. In his retirement he became a Certified Tennis Teaching Professional. He was a tennis instructor at the Wayne YWMHA and coached JV boys and girls tennis at Wayne Valley High School until 2007, when the Passaic County Coaches Association named him Girls Tennis Coach of the Year. He is survived by his wife Therese, daughters Mary Jane Karp of Montclair, Dolores Amesbury of Oakland, and Therese Hurter of Ramsey, nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his son Donald Jr. in 2002, his sister Mildred and brothers Clifford and Roy. Funeral services will be held at St. Mary's Church, 17 Pompton Ave., Pompton Lakes on Tuesday, September 29 at 1 PM. Friends are invited to Don's home on Wednesday from noon to 5 PM. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to St. Mary's Church or to Valley Hospice Charity Care, 15 Essex Road, Paramus, NJ. For additional information, directions and condolences please visit www.Oaklandmemorial.com