John David Grund
Remembrance of John
Husband, Father, Grandfather, and Jokester
 
John Grund 83, passed away on May 21, 2019 after complications associated with dementia. Placed in Golden Age Manor nursing home in October, 2018 he was well cared for by the nursing staff and touched their souls with his sense of humor and bouts of obnoxiousness. Special thanks to all of the nursing and support staff at Golden Age they embraced John and his family – they have earned a special place in our hearts. Much gratitude to the support staff that helped his wife Betty navigate the MedicAide, Nurse Home Insurance re-imbursement and other volumetric piles of paperwork – uffda!
John is survived in life by his loving and devoted wife of 62 years Betty Grund who he married in 1957, immediate family members consisting of son Paul Grund and wife Lisa, son-in-law Kevin Hoffbeck, daughter Sue MacMillan and husband Jim. Grandchildren including: Paul Grund, Christopher Grund, Carter Grund, Tyler Grund, Maggie MacMillan and Josie MacMillan. Siblings: Sue (Bob) Koska, Shirley (Chuck) Bernhagen, and Mary Lou (John) Nauman. He was preceded in death by his parents Walt and Helen Grund, siblings: Jerry, Judy and Jim, and daughters: Jean Hoffbeck (Beaner has since joined Therese) and Therese Smith (not pictured ; as Tessie had already joined a heavenly family).
2004 Family Picture
We were all so much younger then – but oh SO much wiser now?!?

A special bond was struck with his Grandsons Carter and Tyler Grund. Many hours were spent in Grandpa's shop learning tricks of the trade which some would deem monkey business or the high-tech terminology putzing in the shop. When Grandpa wasn't being attacked or falling out of a tree, there wasn't a tree he wasn't more than happy to cut down, cut and split into firewood and stack – followed by REPEAT! His other passion he shared with the Grandkids was TRACTORS!
   
However, not even Grandpa's great skills can overcome Mother Nature's sense of balance and gravity!

 

His love of his Granddaughters was evident in his terms of endearment nicknames Maggie MacMillan deemed Magnificent Maggie and Josie MacMillan as Personality Plus aka PP.
   
After John's first love of the Queen Bee (his wife Betty) and his family. He enjoyed the accompaniment of his feline friends over the years.

 

Besides his love of family; other "flavorites" in his life was desserts! So, much so that his daughter Sue would state that there's not a dessert he would not devour. Amassing dessert plates that rivaled 5-course plate servings with even Grandkids stating "Grandpa"! Other sweet treats he thoroughly enjoyed during his special events was his homemade Sour Cream Raisin Pie that his Queen Bee (our Mom made)!!

John was born in Renville, MN on December 5, 1935. The son of Walter and Helen Grund. Graduated from Renville High School in 1953. In 1956 he worked at Northwest Airlines as a ticket agent. He worked for Culligan, in 1957 the same year he married Betty Amberg (his forever Queen Bee)! Shortly, after the marriage he joined the Army in February of 1957 and was honorably discharged in December 1958. After being dis-charged, he attended business school and worked for Bruce Motor as a dispatcher. In 1961 John joined Ford Motor Company as a foreman and retired from Ford in 1989. While working at Ford; Dad tried many additional business pursuits ranging from handyman home improvements, driveway seal coating, financier of a racquetball facility, rototilling amongst many others but the favorite one that stuck with him is the one Fritz Amberg; his brother-in-law suggested - Stump Grinding. His beloved stump grinder of choice was a Vermeer 630A or B.

This venue in life earned him the nick name Stumphead and a business slogan in his retirement years that under-scored his tenacity that busy hands are happy ones– "Retired – but not Tired!"
While working on a stump job providing assistance to branch removal from a pine tree, his head was impacted by the topping of that large pine tree. He was hit so hard it broke two bones within his ankle and had a severe brain trauma; however, he proved to himself that mind over matter triumphs and resolved to become as "normal" as a Grund can be which can be somewhat irrelevant to the world's deemed social norms. He resolved to put a smile on every encounter face by his repertoire of jokes with his favorite one for the ladies beginning at a chance encounter as noted below:
"Hi Rose"
Resulting with the lass usually replying "I am not Rose"
Yielding a quip back to her "Yes you are; because you are the flower of my day"
Typically followed by his poem of "Rose are Red, Violets are Blue, What Would I Do if I Couldn't Talk to You?"

 

Family members could have amassed a fortune if every time Dad mentioned the word Rose they would have received a dollar!

 

However, the true fortune reaped was the lasting legacy achieved that John left with those chance encounters; was the holy moments he left with those yielding a smile and a laugh shared reducing a daily burden or two by those simple encounters.
John's life mantra after his head trauma is summed up on the back of his business/calling card:
A Clown's Prayer
Lord, as I stumble through this life, help us to create more laughter than tears, dispense more happiness than gloom, spread more cheer than despair.
Never let me become so indifferent that we fail to see the wonder in a child's face or the twinkle in the eyes of the aged.
Never let us forget that our total effort is to cheer people, make them happy and forget for a moment all the unpleasant things in their lives.
And Lord, in our final moment, may I hear You whisper:
"When you made My people smile, you made Me smile."
We are inclined to believe our Lord did not whisper but used a megaphone stating – Mission well accomplished!
Visitation will be Thursday, May 23 from 5 to 7 pm at Williamson-White Funeral Home, 222 Harriman Avenue North, Amery, WI 54001, and 1 hour prior to services at the church on Friday. Funeral service will be at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, May 24, 2019 at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 1050 N. Keller Avenue, Amery, WI 54001.
We love you, Johnny/Dad/Grandpa – You Jokester!
You are now forever "Retired – But Not Tired" in God's Kingdom!
We can now only envision you seeking a young child out asking them if they have ever heard the: Rooster, Pullet, Chicken joke or a lass innocently passing by flagging her down with a: Hi Rose………….
Forever Grandpa Clown

 

You will be the sunshine in the light of our day and a beckon of hope for our futures!

Arrangements made with the Williamson ~ White Funeral Home and Cremation Services