- Date Of Birth: August 3, 1922
- Date Of Death: February 28, 2009
- State: Pennsylvania
Robert F. Gruener, age 86, U.S. Army WWII veteran, late of Emlenton, beloved husband of Dolores Gruener for 61 years, devoted father of Robert L. Gruener and Kathy (Lee) Fierst; loving grandfather of Christopher (Michelle) Gruener, Jessica (Andy) Manucy, Stacy (Gary) Hawranko, and Stephanie (Doug) Johnston; cherished great-grandfather of Addison Gruener, Owen Gruener, Joseph Alcorn, Avery Hawranko, Sydney Hawranko, Olivia Johnston, Alyssa Johnston, and fond uncle to many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents Joseph and Hilda Gruener and his loving brothers Harry and Joseph Gruener, died on Saturday, February 28, 2009 at UPMC Presbyterian in Pittsburgh. He was born in Pittsburgh on August 3, 1922 and attended Perrysville High School on the North Side. When America became involved in the war, he enlisted in the Army and went off to fight along with his older brothers. When he returned home from the war he began dating Dolores Roth who he had known previously from their days at Perrysville High School and on April 16, 1947 they became husband and wife. He studied to become a welder and began working on Neville Island. An illness forced him to abandon his welding career and after working briefly at several jobs he found his niche at Keystone Oaks School District where he worked for many years maintaining the school buildings and the football stadium both inside and out. He was an avid golfer, loved the Allegheny river, and settled into a small cottage there after retiring from Keystone Oaks. His very first golf outing was at Foxburg in the summer of 1962. He picked up the game very quickly and was soon in demand as a partner for several golf outings in the Pittsburgh area. He never gave up his love for golf and as recently as last week was complaining about the weather because he couldn’t wait to get out there and hit a few. In his early years, he was an active hunter and was quite proud of a newspaper clipping he had saved that showed a picture of him with a huge bear that he had shot at the age of 19. He was the youngest of the three brothers that all went off to fight in WWII and thankfully all returned safely. He was a devoted family man that was always willing to lend you a hand and do anything for you. He will be truly missed by his family and friends.
