Allen Lee Grofvert

Allen Grofvert was born September 9, 1952, to Paul and Eleanor in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He was the oldest of three children and the Number One farmhand on the family poultry farm in Alamo Township. Childhood was a whirlwind of long bus rides to school, long Sundays at church, and long days in the hay fields and the coops (at one time the family raised flocks of 60,000 chickens).

He left home for Michigan State University where he completed an electrical technology program that set him on course to a career as a master electrician and where he was surrounded by campus life in the early 1970s that expanded his horizons well beyond his rural, conservative upbringing.

Al possessed a natural curiosity about many things and took interest in people of all stripes. He could strike up a conversation with anyone, young or old. One youngster recalled that he “could talk with Al about anything.” Allen was generous with his time and his knowledge. There are dozens of friends and friends-of-friends throughout Greater Lansing who are still waiting for Al to bill them for electrical work he completed at their homes 30 years ago.

Al loved music. He could talk for hours about the Blues and had hundreds of CDs to trace that history – artist by artist, song by song. (Al recommends giving Joe Bonamassa a listen.)

Al loved cars, attested to by the fact that he owned over a dozen of them together with plans and projects to rehabilitate each one. His favorite was the only vehicle he ever purchased new: a red 1987.5 Special Edition Audi GT Coupe which he would set out in on one of his long morning drives to a no-name diner in a crossroads town.

Al loved food. He often appeared at family gatherings with a mountain of bowls and trays filled with new dishes and recipes that he spent days preparing. Always the creative chef, he took a page from his favorite blues artists and improvised his way through preparations so the results were often wonderfully mysterious and completely unrepeatable.

Other passions, from fine cigars to fine bourbons, from skiing to scuba diving, were always centered on the people they brought into his life, where they shared good times together, entertained by Al’s unique sense of humor.

But perhaps most of all, Allen loved his role as Grandpa Al surrounded by young people, immersed in love, learning and laughter. The house was always filled with games, toys and art supplies to fuel the grandkids’ creative passions. And Grandpa Al could be counted on as a proud presence at recitals, concerts and competitions.

Allen Grofvert is survived by his life partner Edith Robinson; sister Anne (Dennis Pace); brother David (Debbie); niece Jennifer Walenta (Bryan); nephew John Grofvert (Raheem); stepdaughters Kristin Johnson (James) and Jennifer Coleson (Nathan); granddaughters Addison, Kendall, Kelsey and Riley; and grandson Gabriel.

Al was a member of the American Legion, the Fraternal Order of Eagles, and a congregant of Central United Methodist Church of Lansing.

Visitation will be held on Nov. 7 from 1:30-3:30. Services will be held on Nov. 7 from 3:30-4:00. Gorsline Runciman Funeral Home/East Lansing, 1730 East Grand River, East Lansing 48823.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations go to Hospice of Lansing, who provided comfort and care during the closing weeks of Al’s illness (hospiceoflansing.org), or Central United Methodist Church of Lansing (lansingcentralumc.net).