Larry Henry Carl Grothaus was born to William and Dorothea (Horstmann) on Sunday, Jan. 5, 1930, at 5:55 a.m. In the Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
He was baptized on Jan. 26, 1930, at Zion Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne. Larry obtained his elementary education at Zion Lutheran school in Fort Wayne. On the second day of April, he confirmed his faith at Zion Lutheran in Fort Wayne by Pastor Paul Dannenfeldt. South Side High School in Fort Wayne was his high school alma mater where he graduated in 1948. He delivered the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette at 4 a.m. and the News Sentinel in the afternoon. He participated in Walther League activities, playing basketball and appearing in plays.
In the fall of 1949, he entered Concordia Teachers College, River Forest, Illinois. While in college, he was a member of the student senate, assistant editor of the school newspaper and served on the men’s council. He received the Keinath Memorial Scholarship. He was cited in Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities. He also played basketball and participated in the very first Concordia Invitational Tournament. During the 1951-52 school year, he taught kindergarten, first grade and physical education at St. John Lutheran school in Hamlin, New York. He returned to Concordia College in River Forest in the fall of 1952 and graduated in the summer of 1954. In January, 1954, he was asked to be the high school dormitory counselor and teach History at St. Paul’s College in Concordia, Missouri. Though it was only a temporary emergency assignment at the time, he ended up teaching there for 14 years.
Larry had dated Doris Gugel since their first date to South Pacific at the Schubert Theater in Chicago’s loop on March 17, 1951. The courtship resulted in marriage on Aug. 14, 1954, at Trinity Lutheran church in Forestville, Michigan. This union was blessed with four children: Cheryl, Timothy, Christine and Peter. Since 1956, Larry attended summer school at the University of Missouri in Columbia and was awarded a Masters Degree in History in 1959 and a PhD in History in 1970. He has been a member of the Organization of American Historians, the State Historical Society and other professional organizations.
In 1968, Larry and his family moved to Seward, where he served at Concordia University as Professor of History. In addition, he served as Assistant Academic Dean and Dean of Liberal Arts. He was also the chair of Concordia’s Centennial Celebration in 1994. His teaching assignments focused on American History since The Civil War and on African American History. He also enjoyed teaching Baseball History and Constitutional Law. Larry was also active in St, John Lutheran congregation, serving on the Personnel Board, Social Welfare Board, St. John Foundation Board and Board of Elders. He was also chairman of the congregation for six years. He was a member of the Seward Public Library Board for 21 years and was active in the effort to construct a new library facility for the city. He was a member of Kiwanis serving as secretary for several years. Larry loved to travel and enjoyed planning trips not only for Doris and himself but also for his children and grandchildren. He enjoyed a trip to the Holy Land and he and Doris traveled to all 50 states and eight countries in Europe. Larry passed away on Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2022.
Mourning yet rejoicing in Larry’s new life in Christ are his wife of 68 years, Doris (Gugel); his children, Cheryl, Timothy (Marian), Christine (Randolph) and Peter (Lynne); grandchildren, Luke (Jamie), Jessica (Nicholas), Catherine (Kevin), Joel, Graham (Elise) Rachel (Johnathon) Bethany (Tyler), Clair, Lydia (Ian) and Philip and Rose; great-grandchildren, Ethan, Rachel, Ethan, Kaelynn, Elise, Jack, Oliver, Rylen, Austyn and Carson. He was preceded in death by his parents and sister, Virginia.
A memorial service was Oct. 11 at St. John Lutheran Church in Seward with a private committal at the Greenwood Cemetery. The family is thankful for the many blessings God gave us through Larry’s life and faith. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are suggested to one of the following: The Larry and Doris Grothaus Concordia History Scholarship, St. John's Lutheran Church or the Seward Public Library. Condolences may be left for the family online at www.volzkefuneralhome.com.
