Gary R. Grob

On Sunday, February 9, 2025, Gary Roslyn Grob, 87, of Winona, Minnesota passed away peacefully at his home with his family by his side.

Gary was born on September 28, 1937, at home in Mill Creek, Wisconsin to Alvin and Grace (Von Wald) Grob. He was baptized at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Alma, WI and confirmed at First Lutheran Church in La Crescent, MN. He married Marilyn Schroeder on July 28, 1962 in Caledonia, MN.

After graduation from Central High School in La Crosse, WI in 1955, he entered the Marine Corps, serving for two years. He then attended Winona State University and graduated in 1962 with degrees in elementary and physical education. Gary played baseball at Winona State with a career batting average of .354 and played in two NAIA World Series in 1961 and 1962.

His teaching career began in Oshkosh, WI for two years and returned to WSU in 1964 to complete his master’s degree while serving as supervisor of Health and Physical Education (HPER) at the Phelps Lab School until 1971 when he transitioned to an instructor in the HPER Department at WSU, director of the Recreation and Therapeutic Recreation program from 1975 to 1998, and was hired as the assistant baseball coach. After two seasons, he assumed the Warrior head baseball coach in 1967 for 35 seasons, with the exception of a sabbatical year in 1975 to earn his doctorate degree from the University of Utah.

During his coaching era, he had 15 conference champion teams, 19 District 13 champion teams, three NAIA region champions with a third-place finish in the NAIA World Series in 1992 and two NCAA region runner up teams. He built a long-lasting legacy for the WSU baseball program and had a deep love for his players and program. Gary was fondly referred to as “Coach” or “8”.

Gary was NSIC coach of the year seven times. In 2002 he earned his 1000th win giving him the most college wins of all baseball coaches in Minnesota and sixth nationally. Gary was elected to five different Halls of Fame to honor his life in baseball: 1989 NAIA, 2001 American Baseball Coaches Association, 2006 Winona State, 2006 NSIC, and 2017 The Minnesota Amateur Baseball.

Gary said he never worked a day in his life. He loved sports, gardening, his hunting dogs, and the outdoors. He refereed basketball, football, baseball, wrestling, and volleyball for over 50 years and was a fan of the Twins, Yankees, and Packers. He was also passionate about golfing, hunting, and fishing with family and friends. He valued spending time with his wife, four daughters, sons-in-law, and grandchildren.

Gary served as an active member of Goodview Trinity Lutheran and St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church in Winona, and most recently of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Onalaska, WI. He was also a member of the Winona Sunrisers Kiwanis Club, serving as secretary for 33 years.

He is survived by Marilyn, his wife of 62 years; four daughters - Lenae (Dean) Barkey of Rochester, MN, Rhonda (Brian) Ihrke of Rochester, MN, Karla (Mark) Winter of Virginia, MN, and Kari (Brad) Hak of Rochester, MN; eight grandchildren - Kallyn and Ryan Barkey, Jacob (Claire), Joey, and Megan Ihrke, Brittin and Marcus Winter, and William Hak; great-granddaughter, Adelaide Ihrke; brother, A. Kenneth Grob of Park Rapids, MN; one sister, Barbara Jones of Boulder, CO; two sisters-in-law, Lois Grob of Oelwein, IA and Sandy Wiegman of Greenville, WI; and many nieces and nephews. Gary was preceded in death by his parents, Alvin and Grace Grob; brother, Gaven “Butch” Grob; sister-in-law and brother-in-law Bernice and Norm Kohlmeyer; brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Glen and Muriel Schroeder, and brother-in-law Robert Wiegman.

A visitation will be held from 11 AM until the funeral service at 1 PM on Saturday, February 15, 2025, at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 1201 Main St, Onalaska, WI 54650. Following the service, Gary will be laid to rest at Woodlawn Cemetery, 506 W. Lake Blvd, Winona, MN, 55987. A Celebration of Life will be held at the American Legion, 302 E. Sarnia St, Winona, MN from 4:00-7:00 pm. A video recording of the service will be available on Gary’s tribute page at www.watkowski-mulyck.com/obituaries/gary-grob.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to the WSU Gary and Marilyn Grob Baseball Scholarship Fund https://give.winona.edu/campaign/663279/donate or to St. Paul’s Lutheran Church.

Gary’s family extends their appreciation to the amazing team from the Winona Area Hospice Services and to everyone for their love, support and condolences.

Watkowski-Mulyck Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.