Robert James Groth, 83, passed away at the Canyonlands Care Center with his wife Nina at his side.
Bob was born on October 19, 1933, in Battle Creek, Michigan, to Vernon LeRoy and Della May Doyle Groth. He had a large family and they had a large garden; each child had a row to weed. They were raised on goat meat and goat milk. In January 1954, Bob joined the Army and served in Korea. In early 1956, Bob was discharged from the Army and later that year married Violet Biachetti. Bob was a cook and owned five different restaurants in Wisconsin. That marriage ended about 10 years later. Bob did a lot of different jobs, from picking oranges in Florida to being a cook in the Monterey Steak House in California, where he had 25 different steak orders and worked as a fry cook, front-line cook, exhibition cook and a sous chef.
Around 1975, Bob’s car broke down in Moab. While waiting for his car to be fixed, he stopped by the Hitching Post, where he met Nina Nicol. They were married on March 24, 1976. Bob worked for Atlas as a crusher and then an SX operator, and later served as lieutenant of the security guards. Bob and Nina moved to Indiana, where Bob worked on the production line for Harman Motive. After his retirement in 2002, they moved back to Moab.
Bob enjoyed drawing and oil painting and had only four formal lessons. He also enjoyed playing the banjo and the harmonica. He also played a homemade garbage-can bass.
He is survived by his wife Nina of Moab; a son, Kenneth Robert Groth-Lehtinen; a stepdaughter, Judy Ann Biachetti; siblings Mary May Kubasinski, Leo Groth, Donna Jean Groth, Ernest Groth and Joseph Groth; 10 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his brother Bill; and two sisters, Marie Anna and Florence Ilene.
Funeral services will be held on Friday, August 11, 2017, at 11 a.m. at the Moab LDS Stake Center on Locust Lane. A viewing will be held one hour prior to the service.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.SpanishValleyMortuary.com.
