John Gromen's Obituary
John Gromen died Friday, January 16th, as a result of a hiking accident in South Cumberland State Park in Monteagle, TN. John was born and raised in Strongsville, OH where he enjoyed playing sports, especially baseball and soccer. His best pitches were off-speed junk. While excelling in organized baseball, his neighborhood pick-up game record was 1 win and approximately 2,000 losses. John’s neighborhood was filled with wonderful childhood friends. John graduated from Strongsville High School in 2003 and spent a short time at Grove City College (it was what you’d call a “bad fit”). He graduated from University of Cincinnati in 2009. In every job John held, he was a responsible, hard worker. After working in Cincinnati a few years, he relocated to Nashville, TN in 2012. He was the territory sales representative for Bake Mark and won awards for his efforts covering the eastern part of TN. In his spare time, John was a dedicated volunteer for Farm One, Project C.U.R.E and other organizations through Hands On Nashville. He loved working at the farm. His other passions were continuing to play baseball and basketball. A few years ago he attended walk-on tryouts for the Cincinnati Reds, just for fun, and still threw an 87 mph pitch. John loved hiking and nature and tried to visit as many state parks and nature preserves in Tennessee as possible. He enjoyed coming home to visit family, and especially loved playing with his nieces and nephews and maintaining a close relationship with his siblings and childhood friends. John is survived by his loving parents, Don and Joanne Gromen; siblings Luke (Tracy), Kate Eich (Rob), and Paul (Casey);nephews and nieces Gavin, Connor, Brennan, Natalie, Noelle, Vivian, Elliott, Parker, Alyson and Jack; and many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. He was preceded in death by his grandparents, niece Alexa, and beloved pets Rusty and Jake (rabbits) and Brooklyn and Pouncer(dogs). VISITATION WEDNESDAY 3-8 pm at JARDINE FUNERAL HOME 15822 PEARL ROAD, STRONGSVILLE. Funeral Mass 10 am Thursday at St. John Neumann Church. PLEASE MEET AT CHURCH. Interment Strongsville Cemetery. NO FLOWERS PLEASE. Family suggests donations to South Cumberland State Park, 11745 Highway 41, Monteagle, TN 37356 attn. Jody Jones. www.jardinefh.com
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