Robert L. Gronlund (“Bob” or “Bobbo”), 79, of Lewisburg, died unexpectedly Thursday, March 25, 2021 at 12:01am at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pennsylvania.

Born February 26, 1942, in Bay Ridge (Brooklyn), New York, Robert was the son of the late Theodore and Alice (Olsen) Gronlund of Pelham Manor, New York. He married DeOnne (“Dede”) Resor Gronlund, who survives, on June 12, 1965, in Galion, Ohio, and they have celebrated 55 years of marriage together. 

Robert was a 1959 graduate of Pelham Memorial High School in Pelham, New York. He went on to receive an associate degree from Boston University in 1961, graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Ohio Northern University in 1963, served in the Army National Guard from 1964 until his honorable discharge in 1970, and received an honorary Doctorate of Business Administration from Ohio Northern University in 2009. 

In 1965, Robert joined Wood-Metal Industries as a factory sales representative. Following the passing of his father in 1966, he became a sales representative at T.O. Gronlund Inc. in New York, NY. In 1970, he and his family moved to Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, where he became Vice President of Operations at the family business, Wood-Mode Inc. Robert was eventually promoted to President in 1976, and in 1998 he completed a leveraged buyout of other Wood-Mode shareholders to help ensure that the Company remained a privately held business, owned and managed by members of one of its original founding families. As Chairman and CEO, Robert led the Company to become the nation’s preeminent and largest manufacturer of custom-built cabinetry. There was much about Wood-Mode he cherished, including the annual Company picnic where he enjoyed visiting with all of the Company’s employees and their families. He also treasured the lifelong relationships he cultivated with fellow industry leaders. After Wood-Mode Inc. was sold in 2019, Robert continued his passion for work while owning and operating Wood-Metal Inc. in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania.

Robert sat on the board of directors and served as Chairman of numerous organizations and institutions throughout the Susquehanna Valley and beyond, including Sun Home Health Services, Evangelical Community Hospital, Susquehanna University, Business Council of Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, Capital Blue Cross/Blue Shield, and KCMA (Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association).

He was awarded the 1982 Furniture Design and Manufacturing Impact Award, the 2005 Wood and Wood Products Metz Achievement Award, the 2005 Susquehanna Valley United Way Lifetime of Caring Award, the 2013 Ohio Northern University Pinnacle Award, and the 2016 Economics Pennsylvania Adam Smith Distinguished Leadership Award.

As a child, Robert loved going to see the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field, thus making him a lifelong Dodgers fan. He also grew up playing golf with his family and friends and would develop an enduring love for the game, playing for many years with his wife and their friends. Robert also adored the music of the Beatles and would even go for a drive on Sundays to listen to Breakfast with the Beatles on the radio.

Robert loved and savored time with his family most of all and always looked forward to the times they could all be together. These became the most endearing moments of his later years, capturing the essence of what was so important to him: family, love, and joy.

A genuinely kind, lovable, and generous man, Robert’s philanthropy can be seen throughout the Susquehanna Valley and beyond. It warmed his heart to be able to give back to the community that meant so much to him. Robert’s sense of humor and quick wit that always brought a smile to people’s faces will be sorely missed.

Robert is predeceased by his mother and father, Alice and Theodore Gronlund of Pelham Manor, New York, and his sister, Alison “Cookie” Gronlund.

In addition to his wife, Dede, he is survived by his son R. Brooks Gronlund and wife Amy of Lewisburg, daughter Stacie Mayer and husband Randall of Andover, Massachusetts, and son Geoff Gronlund and wife Angelina of Harrison, Maine. 

He is also survived by six grandchildren, Harrison and William Gronlund of Lewisburg, Eleanor and Teddy Mayer of Andover, Massachusetts, and Ezra and Sylvie Gronlund of Harrison, Maine.

Also surviving are his two brothers, Ted Gronlund and wife Cathy of Naples, Florida, and Jay Gronlund and wife May-Lis of Brookfield, Connecticut.

In lieu of flowers or gifts, donations can be made to:

Evangelical Community Hospital, ℅ Development Office, 1 Hospital Drive, Lewisburg, PA 17837

A private memorial service will be livestreamed from First Presbyterian Church in Lewisburg via YouTube on Saturday, April 10 at 2pm. To join the service: https://youtu.be/gS9_rHzMQpo