Michael Robert Groh, life partner of Pamela Lei Smith, father to James Michael Groh, second father to Sarah Allison Wood, and grandfather to Jovian Ezra Barrs left our world after his heroic battle against pancreatic cancer. He is also survived by sisters Jean Gaines, Carol Marlow, Sue Groh, and Kathy Groh, along with many cousins, nieces, and nephews. Michael is the son of Michael Robert Groh and Hazel Kelly Laux, both deceased.
Michael was a man of great intelligence with an insatiable thirst for knowledge. He was a scientist, a life long learner, and an excellent teacher. Education was one of his highest values. He earned an M.S. in Clinical Chemistry from the University of Iowa (Iowa City) and an M.B.A from Northeastern University (Boston, MA). He was an accomplished author and speaker. He wrote or contributed to more than 20 different computer books, and has written more than 200 technical magazine articles and editorials. He was involved in every Microsoft Access Beta program since the inception of Access 1.0 at the Windows World Conference in 1992.
His recreational activities were wide ranging, dabbling in everything from programming fractals, reading, learning to play the guitar, collecting watches, and remodeling his house. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of World War II history with a book collection to match! He could build or repair anything from a deck to a computer to a BMW.
Michael was a quiet man who loved his work and his family with all his heart. He endured his illness with great dignity that has been inspirational to those who have been close to him during this time. He is loved eternally and will be missed by all whose lives he touched.
You are invited to join Michael's family in the fight against pancreatic cancer by making a donation in his memory at:
http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/michaelgroh/KeeptheMemoryAlive