Obituary - Barbara Grosch

Barbara (nee Davis) Grosch was born on January 22, 1945 to Dorothy and Harvey Davis in Detroit, MI. In 1957, Barbara and her parents joined the Lutheran Church after her father had a heart attack and a friend came over to pray for her family. Barbara was confirmed in 1958 at Nazareth Lutheran Church in Detroit, where she experienced the challenges of inner city ministry. 

Barbara graduated from Lutheran High West of Detroit in 1962.  She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Education from Concordia Teachers College in River Forest, IL and her Master's degree in Montessori Early Childhood Education from Xavier University in Cincinnati, OH.

Barbara met the love of her life, Rev. Robert (Bob) Grosch, on a blind date in Fort Wayne, Indiana in 1965. They married on August 5, 1967.  

Bob graduated from Concordia Seminary in 1970 and he and Barbara served in Lutheran parishes in Cincinnati (1971-80), and Oakland, CA (1981-87).  While in Oakland Barbara and her dear friend Karen Hebel operated a preschool for refugee children from Southeast Asia. In 1987 Bob and Barbara moved to Redding, CA and Barbara became a teacher at Shady Oaks Montessori School in Redding.

Later, in 1987, Barbara wrote several grants to establish the Southeast Asian Christian Ministry (SEACM) serving refugees and immigrants. She served as the director of this ministry in its formative years, and the organization became a training center for many community organizations which were having difficulties at the time adjusting to multicultural challenges in rural Shasta County.  This ministry continues to this day. 

Barbara worked as an administrator for the Enterprise School District for several years and began four preschools for the district.  Barbara also directed the Even Start program for several years, a program designed to encourage family literacy.

In 1992, Barbara was honored for her work with SEACM by Shasta County Citizens Against Racism (SCCAR). That same year Barbara was named Woman of the Year by the American Association of University Women (AAUW) and the Soroptimists in recognition of her work with refugees and immigrants.

Barbara retired in 2002. During her retirement years, she became an active volunteer with the Mended Hearts program at Mercy Hospital. She and Bob worked at the Luther Center in Wittenberg, Germany for one summer, interpreting to tourists the historical importance of Wittenberg, city of origin for the Lutheran Church. During retirement Barb and Bob traveled to Germany, Austria, France, England, Ireland, Scotland, Switzerland, Denmark, Russia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and The Netherlands. 

Barbara considered herself blessed by her several meaningful vocational positions, and valued most of all her family of children (Mark Grosch, Amy Cavalleri) and grandchildren (Isabella, Ethan, Kristin, Clara, Thomas).  Daughter-in-Law Heather was valued as a loved family member and faithful teacher carrying the torch of education to the next generation, especially in overcoming the challenges of Covid-19.

Retirement allowed Barbara to pursue, with the support of the women of St. James, her dream of becoming a quilter.  She and other women at St. James sewed hundreds of quilts for distribution to foster children, disaster victims, and displaced refugees overseas.  She was the local head of the Days for Girls program, sewing and assembling feminine hygiene kits for young girls in Africa.  In the early days of Covid-19 when sufficient face masks were not available in the community, she personally made over 300 masks for our local hospitals.

Barbara entered Eternal Life on May 19 with her husband at her bedside. 

A public opportunity for visitation with the family will take place at St. James Lutheran Church, 2500 Shasta View Drive, Redding on Friday, May 28, 6:30-8:30 p.m.  

A service of celebration and Resurrection will take place at St. James Lutheran Church, on Saturday, May 29 at 10:00 a.m., to be followed by internment at Parkville Cemetery, 6101 Parkville Rd., Anderson.
(A zoom link for remote viewing will be posted soon)

In lieu of flowers, donations are suggested to Church World Service (cwsglobal.org) or Southeast Asian Christian Ministry (seacmredding.org). 

One generation shall praise your works to another 
and declare your mighty acts. 
-Psalm 145:4