Receiving the 2022 Member of the Year Award from late CPA-PCA Pres. Steve Limbert

It’s with great regret that we report the passing of Central PA PCA Founding Member and 2022 Member of the Year Walter Grube.

He was born on 29 August, 1939 to Walter E. Grube Sr. and Mary R, (Zeimer) Grube

While in State College, he met and married Kathryn Glantz, of State College. Together they moved to Morgantown, WV where he continued to study at West Virginia University and earned his PhD in Soil Chemistry (Bio Chemistry?) in 1974. After WVU, Walt and Kathryn moved to New Hampshire where he worked at the US Army Cold Weather Research Lab. Next they moved to Cincinnati, Ohio where Walt became a program manager with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Working for the EPA he traveled the country extensively to oversee and report on government subcontractors and universities involved in research and environmental cleanup projects, as well as numerous conferences of the soil scientist community. He became particularly knowledgeable in the areas of coal mine reclamation and remediation.

Between 1970 and 1982 Walter and Kathryn had 6 children together. Walt would live with his family in Cincinnati until 1992 when he was hired as head of Research and Development for Clem Environmental in Calhoun (Northern) Georgia. Within a few years, he took another job as a visiting professor at Ohio University, in Athens, Ohio, teaching hazardous waste cleanup and remediation. After a few other jobs, he worked until retirement at the PA department of environmental protection.

During retirement, he found time to return to his earlier hobbies , especially cars, airplanes, and amateur radio and other clubs.

During his college years at Penn State, Walter worked as mechanic in a VW/Porsche garage, and joined the local sports car club and carved the roads of PA in his ivory/cream Porsche 356 coupe which was recognizable at some distance by the sound of its loud “Bursch” exhaust, and the single 300watt aircraft landing light mounted on his front bumper for temporary auxiliary lighting. (Temporary because it drained the battery from requiring more power than the car’s generator could make.) He and Kathryn were active in organizing some, and winning other, time/speed/distance road rallies.

With his detailed knowledge of the cars Walter was also involved with Concours event judging. As practical evidence of his belief in “smooth” driving, he once (accidentally) left his wedding ring on the upper inside of the driver fender...and it was still there when he got home.

He was an early member of the Central Pennsylvania PCA (Porsche Club of America) and received our “Member of the Year” award in 2022. As family life took over, like many his Porsche became sidelined, but he continued membership and participation in local Porsche clubs wherever he lived, and traveled whatever distance to swaps meets at P.B Tweeks, Stoddards, Ski Roundtop, and Hershey. Over the years he owned a few other “project” Porsches for short periods: a very bare gray 356 with a full rollcage welded in. A white 1967 912 5 speed, and a blue 1965 356C coupe.

Walter is survived by his five children, Thomas (Trish), John (Emilie), Mary Thomas (Aaron), Norma Gowdy (Damon), and Paul (Katelyn); Grandchildren, Grace, Isabella, and Grant Grube; Jacob, David, Sarah, and Angela Grube, Zoe and Chase Grube, and Kathryn and Lincoln Gowdy.

Walter is also survived by his siblings: Geraldine Jones (Robert); Rosetta Sosi; Joseph Grube (Wendy), and Christine Boltz (Leon), and many nieces and nephews.

In addition to his parents Walter was preceded in death by his son, Walter P. Grube, and his sister Dorothy Waters.

Funeral Mass will be at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Hamburg PA at 11am on Monday April 28.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the Golden Age Air Museum in Bethel PA. https://www.goldenageair.org/