William (Bill) Kilgore Grosh, M.D., 93

December 13, 2020

William (Bill) Kilgore Grosh, M.D., 93, a resident of Moravian Manor in Lititz and formerly of Ephrata, PA, passed away, December 13, 2020 from complications due to Alzheimer’s disease.

Born in Lancaster to Angie Hawthorne Kilgore and Samuel Siegfried Grosh, Bill was married to Joyce Rhen Grosh for almost 61 years until her passing on May 31, 2013.

Bill graduated in 1945 from McCaskey High School and enlisted in the Navy, leaving for boot camp the week after graduation. During his 18 months of service, Bill received four grade promotions and spent time in California, Illinois, Florida and Maryland. During this time, Bill matured considerably, learned to value freedom and was eager to begin college. After honorable discharge, Bill attended Franklin & Marshall College, graduating in 1950; he played in the band and was a member of Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity.

Bill married Joyce Rhen on July 5, 1952 and the couple moved to Philadelphia so Bill could finish medical school at Hahnemann Medical College (now Drexel University College of Medicine). In September 1955, Bill began his medical practice with Drs. Ridgeway and Kowaleski in Akron, PA. In 1971, he set up a successful solo practice and became one of the first doctors in PA to become Board Certified in Family Practice. Bill always regarded his career as his honor and privilege to care for sometimes three generations within families. He retired in 1990 to spend time with Joyce and out of increasing frustration with insurance company and governmental intrusion on the practice of medicine.

For his retirement party his patients shared hundreds of memories and tributes to his service, a few of which appear below:

· thank you for being the kind of doctor that we thought only existed in Norman Rockwell paintings

· You have been a doctor, a counselor and a friend – day and night. You have been there through formulas, teething, stitches, countless viruses, sore throats, a heart attack, etc., and now aches and pains as body parts begin to age. You were there at 3 a.m. when pain couldn’t wait until daylight.

· thanks for the laughter (I’ll never forget your looking in Jimmy’s ear for infection while his little brother looked in Jim’s other ear for the light).

· Your faithful labors as a doctor may be retiring but your fruits of compassion live on

In addition to his medical practice, traveling with Joyce and their sons was an important part of Bill’s family life; he traveled to at least 46 states and 41 countries during his lifetime. Music was another interest of Bill’s, whether singing in the choir at St. James Episcopal Church in Lancaster, playing the flute at McCaskey and F&M or learning organ as an adult. He also enjoyed reading, photography, model railroading and briefly owned a motorcycle.

During the last 7 years Bill has lived in the memory care unit of Moravian Manor. While dementia robbed him of the ability to access specific memories toward the end of his life, he retained his ability to smile, love music and in his own way demonstrate care for others in this new setting.

Bill will be missed dearly by his two sons: Thomas R. Grosh (Jill Ann) of Lititz and James K. Grosh (Ellen) of Ann Arbor, MI as well as four grandchildren: Austin (Megan) of Elizabethtown, Jared of Lititz and Katie and Laura of Ann Arbor MI. The family would like to extend their heartfelt appreciation to the nurses and staff at Moravian Manor and Hospice at Masonic Village in Elizabethtown who went above and beyond in their care of Bill.

Due to COVID-19, services honoring Bill’s life will be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Moravian Manor, Lititz or Hospice at Masonic Village in Elizabethtown.