Agnes A. Grossmann

Agnes A. Grossmann, 93, Fortified with the Sacraments of Holy Mother Church, passed on Tuesday, July 21, 2015 at Anna House. Agnes was married for 53 years to her loving and devoted husband, Eugene (“Sonny”) Grossmann (1921–1995). Her children include Robert (Elizabeth Reilly) Grossmann, Eugene (Willy) Grossmann, Therese (Michael) Morton, Joseph (Melissa Taylor) Grossmann, son-in-law Jack Gilbert and the late Mary Gilbert and Thomas Grossmann. She was also a grandmother of John and Ryan Gilbert, Stacie, Amy (Shawn) Gilmore and Joseph Grossmann, Michael, Dan (Michelle), Bob and Cassie Morton, Naima, Jared, and Gianna Grossmann; great-grandmother to 15 and a dear friend of Betty Johnson Gilbert. Her impact on all of her family was immeasurable. They were all taught to be kind to a fault and to love without qualification. Agnes was born on December 14, 1921 to Estella Maryann Strezelec and Frank (Francisco) Krajewski, tireless and hardworking immigrants from Poland who taught Agnes generosity by example — providing food and shelter to disadvantaged men during the Great Depression. Agnes survived by many years her much beloved siblings John, Stella, and Jenny (Genevieve), all of whom were were integral to the family she raised with Gene. Agnes also often shared her home with her aging mother, whom her children called “Baki” (a version of the Polish “Babcia”) and who helped Agnes instill immeasurable warmth and love in the next generation. Through the course of her life, Agnes lived in many homes in North St. Louis and North County. The first home she remembered was on Broadway near Madison Street, where she lived until 1935. She remembered this melting-pot neighborhood as a model of diversity, tolerance, and neighborly warmth. Over the next 80 years, she lived in homes on Sulllivan; on Hebert; at 21st St and Angelica (where she began her family); on Leahy (the first home she and Gene bought and renovated); on Chambers Road (where she completed her family); in Pelican Cove Apartments in Florissant; and the Sarah Community. Wherever Agnes lived, she transformed previously plain spaces into bright, creative, and love-filled homes. Everyone who visited Agnes in the last years of her life will remember the colorful butterflies that decorated nearly every available empty space. Agnes made a great many lifelong friends in every parish she joined — from St. Augustine to St. Philip Neri to St. Sebastian to St. Ferdinand. The list of their names is too long to be reproduced here. Agnes loved feeding her friends and family; everyone was too skinny and needed to eat more. Passionate about learning and seeking new experiences, she taught her children to read before most of their peers, and encouraged them to ask more questions — and to think more independently — than was often tolerated in those times. A Funeral Mass will be held at 1pm Friday, July 24 at The Anna House (Sarah Community Chapel) 12284 DePaul Drive, Bridgeton. Burial will follow at Calvary Cemetery, St. Louis MO. Visitation will be 12:30pm Friday, July 24 at The Anna House (Sarah Community Chapel) 12284 DePaul Drive, Bridgeton, Memorials may be made to Sarah Community Foundation or Crossroads Hospice.

Agnes A. Grossmann

December 14, 1921 - July 21, 2015