Thomas H Greiwe

Thomas Hoppe Greiwe was born in 1926 to Hermina Josephine Hoppe Greiwe and Raymond Edward Greiwe in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was the eldest in his family and had a sister, Frances Winifred Greiwe Glazer and brother, Donald Paul Greiwe. He attended Walnut Hills High School and graduated from the University of Notre Dame and the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in 1949. During his last year of Medical School he met Connie Dickinson and married her in 1950. They were blessed to have six children; The couple moved to Detroit, Michigan where Tom interned at Henry Ford Hospital. He also completed a residency program at Children's Hospital of Michigan in pathology and hematology. He served in the U. S. Navy Air Corp during World War II and the United States Air Force during the Korean War. His Air Force Service temporarily interrupted his internship at Henry Ford and stationed the couple at Mac Dill Air Force Base. After returning to Henry Ford Hospital and completing his internship, Tom and Connie decided to make Tampa their permanent home. He opened his first office on the corner of Morrison and Mac Dill Ave. He practiced Pediatrics and Pediatric Allergy for over 40 years. He loved practicing medicine and used to talk about the great privilege and pleasure he had "taking care of generations of Tampa's nicest families". He was deeply rooted in his Catholic faith which moved him to be among the initial proponents of desegregation of hospital care in the City of Tampa. He brought patients he treated at the Clara Frye Memorial Hospital located in West Tampa(1938 to 1967) to Tampa General Hospital where he was chief of Pediatrics. Although he had separate waiting rooms for sick children versus well children, blacks and whites were never separated but always sat together. He was on the staff at Tampa General Hospital, St. Joseph Hospital and University Community Hospital, as well as, being a member of the voluntary clinical faculty of the University of South Florida College of Medicine. He served the Governor of Florida as a member of the Community Health Educational Council for ten years and acted as its Chairman for the last two years. He enjoyed being on the Jesuit High School Foundation as well as the Morning Star School Board. He said that one of the most fun things that he did professionally was to serve as Secretary - Treasurer for the Florida Pediatric Society and the Florida chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics during the time that the Society was run out of a "suitcase". The following year when he became President along with the help of many statewide Pediatricians, they opened an office in Tallahassee. It was during these early years that the Society lobbied the legislature to require insurance companies based in Florida to cover children from birth rather than the 15 day period in existence at that time. His life-long loves were his family, his Catholic faith, his patients, education and athletics. He was an avid tennis player playing with friends at Tampa Yacht and Country Club, Palma Ceia Golf and Country Club as well as Cedar Creek Racquet Club in Cashiers, NC, where he was a member. He was preceded in death by his wife, Connie Greiwe; son, Thomas Hayden Greiwe; granddaughter, Lauren Zamzow; and brother, Don Paul. He is survived by his children: Donald Guy Greiwe (Robin), Connie Greiwe Zamzow, Robin Greiwe Midulla (Bill), Robert Bamberger Greiwe (Leticia), Genevieve Greiwe King (Ray) fourteen grandchildren; sister, Frances Glaser; and daughter-in-law, Kim Greiwe. There will be a visitation at Blount & Curry Funeral Home, 605 S. MacDill Ave, on Wednesday, November 18th from 4-6pm and a Funeral Mass at Christ the King Catholic Church on Thursday, November 19th at 10am. Burial will follow at Florida National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to The Pediatric Cancer Foundation. Arrangements handled by Blount and Curry MacDill, 813-876-2421.