PEABODY — John H. Gronner, 90, devoted husband of Vera (Bake!) Gronner, of Peabody, loving father of Tammy Kallman of Salem, N.H. and Sam Gronner of Fort Lee, N.J., died Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2010 in Plantation, Fla,
A longtime resident of New Jersey and Florida, he was the founder of Speedycut Company, a provider of standard and custom metalworking equipment.
Born in Germany, he arrived in Palestine in 1936 to study at the Technion in Haifa, interrupting his studies at the outbreak of World War II to join the British Army's Royal Engineers. Upon the founding of the State of Israel, he became a leader in the Histadrut, the national labor union. The family moved to the United States in 1959, initially settling in New York City.
Besides his wife of 65 years, and his children, he is survived by four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
ARRANGEMENTS: Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend the funeral service Monday, Aug. 30 at 11 a.m at H.L Farmer & Sons Funeral Home, 106 Summer St., Haverhill. Interment will follow at Children of Israel Cemetery in Haverhill, A visitation period will follow immediately thereafter at Woodbridge Assisted Living, 240 Lynnfield St., Peabody. The family will also observe Shiva in Salem, N.H., on Monday only from 7 to 9 p.m. The family requests that memorial tributes be directed to the Gronner Family Fund for a World of Difference, c/o Naomi Mazin, Anti-Defamation League, 605 3rd Ave., New York, NY 10158. Condolences to his family may be made at www.farmerfuneralhomes.com.
