Ron Groh

A Memorial Service to Celebrate Ron’s Life will be held Sunday 29 July at 3:00 p.m. in the Hanes-Lineberry Funeral Home Sedgefield Chapel conducted by the Reverend Fran Moran. The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Sunday from 2:00 p.m. until service time.

Ron was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil on 4 March 1928 to German parents, Friedrich and Elizabeth Groh. Ron and Betty moved to the United States from Brazil, arriving in Brooklyn on 21 November 1959 with very little money in their pockets, two young children, and a baby on the way! Betty’s pioneer spirit and Ron’s determination to further his engineering education gave them the determination to succeed – they became U.S. citizens in 1966.

Ron studied Chemistry at the Liceu Academico Eduardo Prado in Sao Paolo, and graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Bridgeport, Connecticut, with a degree in Engineering. Ron and the family lived in Milford, Connecticut for 26 years before he and Betty moved to Greensboro, North Carolina in 1986.

After taking early retirement from Orcomatic (formerly Ohio Rubber-a division of Eagle Pitcher) in Stratford, Connecticut; Ron and Betty opened a restaurant in Greensboro called ‘Betty’s Kitchen’, and put their excellent culinary skills to commercial use! Ron loved cooking, gardening, painting and wood carving – which he pursed with passion after his retirement. He taught painting in the Adult Continuing Education Department at Greensboro Technical Community College for nine years, and was very popular with his students.

Although busy with five children, Ron found time to belong to the YMCA, the Piedmont Woodcarvers Association, was a 50-year member of St. John’s Masonic Lodge of Connecticut, and a longstanding member of the Piedmont German Club.

Ron is survived by his wife of 61 years, his five children and his nine grandchildren. Although extremely fit and active all his life, Ron was stricken with Parkinsons Dementia; his family therefore respectfully request that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the National Parkinsons Foundation, Gift Processing Center, PO Box 5018 Hagerstown, MD 21741-5018.