Michael Edward Grossberg

Michael Grossberg, 75, was a native of Brooklyn and retired respiratory therapist from Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, California, where he worked for 36 years before coming to the Sarasota/Bradenton area in 2009 and marrying Susan Goldfarb in 2012, his loving wife of 7 years. He was previously never married and took on his new roles of husband, stepdad to Susan’s only daughter Paris Bassett and grandpa to Paris’s son Rylan, with great relish. His new family adored him and shall miss him beyond measure, as will all his friends and family from California, New York and the local area.

Michael was a sports fanatic and an avid follower of U.S. and world news. He liked reading and watching anything about science, nature and history. For years he enjoyed riding his motorcycle and playing golf. He looked forward to doing his daily crossword puzzles and took pleasure in listening to and knowing a great deal about music of all genres. He got excited engaging in passionate debates about politics using expletives and other colorful language! He never held back his opinions, but he always kept the discourse civil. People found his liveliness charming and his convictions compelling. He was unique in character and appearance (he had a distinctive soul-patch on his chin), smart, funny, kind, honorable, generous, loving and lovable, a true heart, a champion of the under-dog, and a man of integrity. He was a great conversationalist, super-cool guy and fun to be around. He enjoyed playing Trivia at Mandeville in Sarasota every Tuesday and going to outdoor concerts at Café in the Park in Sarasota every Friday with his family. He met regularly with friends at Starbucks for afternoon coffee and banter. He was well-known at The Longboat Key Education Center where he helped his wife, the center’s executive director, with various meet and greet activities and responsibilities. He donated his body to science, which was a “Michael” thing to do.

He was predeceased by his mother and father, William and Ida Grossberg of Brooklyn. He is survived by his loving brother David Grossberg and sister-in-law Judy of NY, nephew Adam Grossberg (Erica) of NJ, niece Rachel Nash of NY, and five great nieces and nephews. His dear cousins Jeff and Howie Dashefksy of CA and CT respectively, their wives and families, are coping with this great loss. His best friend since babyhood, Arnie Heitner (Kristine), from the east coast of Florida, rushed to his bedside within hours of hearing he was in ICU. Michael was also surrounded by Gerri Laurino of Sarasota, his friend for over 50 years, long-time friend Ron Chen from California, his brother and nephew, and his stepdaughter and wife during his final few days. It was a shocking and totally unexpected event that left so many people bereft and heartbroken. Susan and Michael’s dog Maddie still sadly looks for him. He will be greatly missed.
There will be a celebration of his life in March or April, TBA. Inquiries can be addressed to his widow at susanlbk@gmail.com