George William Grose II

He is survived by: his wife, Sharon McIntyre Grose of Lakewood Colorado; his brother David and sister-in-law Beverly of Sauk Rapids Minnesota and their children: Jon, Kevin and Bradley; and his brother Daniel and sister-in-law Paula of Niceville Florida. He is preceded in death by his father George William Grose and mother Ruth Olive Grose of New York Mills Minnesota.

George William Grose II was born in Pipestone Minnesota. He graduated from New York Mills High School located in New York Mills Minnesota and briefly attended the Community College located in Crookston Minnesota.

He joined the United States Air Force (USAF) in June 26, 1972 and was released from active duty October 16, 1976. In the Air Force, he obtained the rank of sergeant. He was assigned to 319th OMS (Organizational Maintenance Squadron) SAC (Strategic Air Command) at the former Grand Forks, North Dakota Air Force Base where he was crew chief for KC-135 (military aerial refueling) aircraft.

George worked on the first bore of the Eisenhower Tunnel (an elevation of 11,013 feet). The Eisenhower Tunnel, officially the Eisenhower–Edwin C. Johnson Memorial Tunnel, is a dual-bore, four-lane vehicular tunnel approximately 60 miles west of Denver, Colorado. The tunnel carries Interstate 70 under the Continental Divide in the Rocky Mountains. Carpentry was his chosen profession. Carpenters solve problems with the skills of math, visualization and creativity. George definitely was a problem solver. The challenges of working with wood intrigued and frustrated him. But, when he worked with wood, he was always patient.

While living in Idaho Springs Colorado (a small mountain town at an elevation of 7500 feet), he helped restore some of the facades of that town’s historic buildings. And, he worked on the interior renovation of City Hall. He even designed wooden serving boards for a well-known pizza joint named Beau Jo’s. At that time, Beau Jo’s had only two locations: Denver and Idaho Springs.

He sometimes worked for Kiewit Construction, an employee-owned company located in Englewood Colorado. And, he was self-employed for many years. During that time, he completed many projects in the mountains and the greater Denver area. George admired Tage Frid. Frid (native of Denmark) came to America in 1948 and created a college program for designer-craftsmen woodworkers. When Frid came to Colorado, George enrolled in a class.

One of his most unusual employments was with Lone Star Construction which did the renovation of the Deaton Sculptured House (aka - Sleeper House, Jetson House) located in Genesee near Golden Colorado. The futuristic house was made famous by Woody Allen’s “Sleeper” movie, a comedy set in the future.

He was passionate about fishing and aircraft. He fished the lakes of Minnesota and Colorado. Walleye fishing was his favorite. He even participated in some of the organized fishing tournaments in Colorado. As a youth, George joined the Civil Air Patrol and flew a Cessna-172. Cadet George Grose received his solo wings (1969) at the Minnesota Flying Encampment at Duluth Air Force in Minnesota. His fascination with aircraft never waned. He often identified aircraft as it flew overhead. Other activities included skiing and hiking. He also enjoyed chess. And, he played table tennis.

Many weekends and vacations were spent travelling throughout Colorado (New Mexico, Utah and Texas) in a 1977 Jamboree Recreational Vehicle. Sights included Rainbow Bridge (Utah), Jemez Mountains (New Mexico), Glen Canyon (Arizona/Utah), Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado), Black Canyon of the Gunnison (Colorado), Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument (Colorado), Old Faithful Geyser-Yellowstone (Idaho/Montana/Wyoming) and Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona) et al. Yearly treks were taken to the Balloon Fest in Albuquerque (New Mexico) and to the AirVenture (Air Show) Oshkosh (Wisconsin).

In later years, George became a patron of VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) Post 4171 located in Golden Colorado. He enjoyed the company of fellow veterans. For two years, he was even Commander.

George loved Colorado. It was his delight to live here. He thought of himself as a mountain man. During the winter, he oftentimes grew a moustache and beard. Even though he was born in Minnesota, he preferred Colorado.

The Olinger Crown Hill Funeral Home in Lakewood Colorado will be in charge of the cremation arrangements for George. There will be no viewing (of the body) or grave-site services. He will be cremated on Thursday, March 04, 2021. Then, he will be interred at Fort Logan National Cemetery located in Denver County near the southwest boundary of the City of Denver.

The family would like to thank caregivers/staff of the following Colorado institutions: Western Hills Home Care Center in Lakewood; Saint Anthony Hospital in Lakewood; Lutheran Medical Center in Wheat Ridge; Veterans Administration Eastern Colorado Health Care System in Aurora and Golden Out-Patient Clinic-Veterans Affairs in Golden for their dedicated care.