Gary Grothen

Gary Grothen, 78, passed away Sunday, November 29, 2015 at Good Samaritan Society Perkins Pavilion in Hastings, Nebraska.

Memorial Service is 11:00am, Friday, December 4, 2015 at First St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Hastings, with Pastor Joel Remmers officiating. There will be no visitation or viewing. DeWitt Funeral Home and Cremation Services in Hastings is serving the family.

In Lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to First St. Paul's Lutheran Church or Mary Lanning HealthCare Hospice.

Gary was born October 22, 1937 in Hastings, Nebraska, son of Helmuth and Marie (Koepp) Grothen. He was baptized and confirmed at First St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Hastings.

Gary attended District 57 elementary school north of Hastings and graduated from Hastings High School in 1955. He attended Hastings College, and graduated from the University of Nebraska in Lincoln in 1960 with a B.S. degree in electrical engineering. Gary married Joyce H. Enste on June 3, 1972 at Marcus Lutheran Church in St. Louis, Missouri. Joyce preceded Gary in death on November 21, 2014, they were married for over 42 years.

Gary worked as an electrical engineer for Boeing Aircraft, McDonnell Douglas, and BDM Corp (aerospace company). He has lived and worked in Wichita, Kansas; St. Louis, Missouri; Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico; Eglin Air Force Base, Fort Walton Beach, Florida; and Albuquerque, New Mexico. Aircraft that he has worked on include the B-52, F-4 (phantom reconnaissance), F-15, and A-10 (Warthog).

Gary was the proprietor of Gronel Associates, specializing in the engineering and production of special purpose electronic systems for government, military, and agriculture. One of his design and production was a remote tank level controller for city water towers. Another project was designing and building an irrigation pivot monitor and controller.

Gary was an avid ham radio operator for many years. Other hobbies he enjoyed include jeep camping trips, fishing, and hunting. He loved shooting off fireworks! While living in Florida, Gary had been lost in the ocean for about 48 hours, before being found and rescued by a Navy missile retriever ship returning to base after a canceled mission.

Due to health problems, Gary and Joyce moved from Albuquerque to St. Charles, MO in November 2011, where his wife's sister took care of both of them, until Gary moved back to Hastings in April of 2014.

Gary is survived by his sister, Gloria Erickson of Holdrege, NE; brother, Neil Grothen and his wife Joyce of Hastings, NE; sister-in-law, Edith Lowery; brother-in-law, Wayne Enste both of St. Charles, MO; nephews, Chris Erickson, and Grant Grothen; niece, Gaila Prill; along with great nephews, great nieces, and cousins.

Service
Friday, December 4, 2015
11:00 AM 12/4/2015 11:00:00 AM First St. Pauls Lutheran Church 501 N Burlington
Hastings, NE 68901 First St. Pauls Lutheran Church 501 N Burlington Hastings 68901 NE United States