Joseph Groscost Obituary

RIP COACH!!

Dear Barb and family. So sorry for your loss. Sharon Kenney (yoga)

Mary Ellen and family.
My sincere sympathy to you and yours in the loss of your brother.

Sandusky and Perkins have always been swimming rivals. When my son, John swam for Sandusky, I made cookies that looked like a lightning bolt for the Blue Streak team for the Sectional meet. Coach G, an SHS alum, came up to me and admitted eating one of the cookies. Very good he stated. Just don't tell my team I ate one. He was a wonderful coach and never hesitated to compliment a rival team's swimmer for a good performance. Will truly be missed.

I was honored to to meet Joe in 1978 at State Swim Coaches Clinic. My first and lasting impression was that Joe was a gentleman but more important a gentleman man. He took great pride as Secretary Treasurer of Ohio Swim Coaches for a long time. Joe was also one step ahead of getting things done in a very professional manner. Personally,Joe had the driest sense of humor and when you look at him with those eyes above his glasses always brought a chuckle. His coaching was fair but firm with his athletes. His legacy will always remain intact to those of us who coached with him. Joe´s passing was a shock but we will shed only tears of joy.

Met coach at a couple of NISCA conferences and traveled to a couple of conferences with him. I hope and pray that I can emulate myself to others as coach did. He was an individual that should be copied to help others be great future leaders

Mr. G was amazing. He had the vision to start VSC and ability to get the most out of every swimmer, no matter where they were from. I had the privilege of spending time with him these last few years. What a great man. Unparalleled.

Joe was my high school swim coach and a second father. Taught me discipline and hard work which is still paying dividends. Great guy.

WE ALL KNOW WHAT A GOOD HUMAN BEING JOE WAS BUT: MY LAST CONVERSATION WITH JOE WAS ABOUT VICTORIES....HE ADMITTED HE WAS THE LEADER IN OHIO .......FIRST HE SAID THE COACH WHO WAS SECOND HAD OVER 500 HUNDRED VICTORIES........WHY WE CALL HIM COACH-JOE GROSCOST HAD OVER 800 VICTORIES!!

Joe was my teacher,coach, mentor and friend. He inspired me to become a physical education teacher and high school swim coach. He helped me overcome poor self-esteem issues and gave me the self confidence to pursue my dream career of teaching PE and coaching swimming. Im sure what Joe did for me hes done for many others Thanks, Joe.

Steve Ingles

Joe was my teacher,coach, mentor and friend. He inspired me to become a physical education teacher and high school swim coach. He helped me overcome poor self-esteem issues and gave me the self confidence to pursue my dream career of teaching PE and coaching swimming. Im sure what Joe did for me hes done for many others Thanks, Joe.

Steve Ingles

Coach G had a giant impact on my life. I don´t know how many miles we swam with him walking back and forth, but he was there Every day. Coach, you will be missed!

Coach was a monumental influence in my life. I wept the moment I heard that he´d passed. From him, I learned that hard work, preparation and a positive attitude can lift anyone. It certainly lifted me. The lifelong friends I´ve made, the experiences and adventures I´ve had as a result of Joe´s influence cannot be measured. I´ll be in his debt forever and I know my swim family - from Briarcrest beginning in 1963, through VSC until 1977 - will miss him as I do. Prayers for you, Coach G. The world was a better place with you in it. Thank you, my friend.

There is so much one can say about " Coach G". What a positive, lasting influence he had on the swimming community, students, and other coaches throughout the state of Ohio. How many countless lives he touched over a period of so many years. He was held in the highest esteem by so many of his peers. He was a role model to me and was instrumental in getting a girls swim team started at Perkins when I was a junior. Prior to that, the girls swam on the boys team. This was a game changer for us, having our own team when there had been girls teams at other Ohio high schools already for a year or two. Coach G was a big part of the reason I swam in college. I can't imagine leaving a better legacy than knowing how many young individuals lives he helped shape by his dedication to the sport he loved.

I've known Joe since he went to Campbell grade school and I went to Hancock grade school. He was a good man and when you think of all the lives he impacted through swimming it truly is amazing May he rest in peace. Our condolences to to his family.


Joe and Diane Harbrecht
Houston, Texas

Spent a majority of my childhood in the PHS Natatorium with Mr. G. Taught me just as
much about life as he did swimming. He was a good man.

Many good memories teaching alongside Joe, He was a good friend and it was always a good to spend time with him on the golfing. May all his drives be down the middle.

There is sooo much that could be said of Mr. G. The impact that he had on "kids" and families in the Sandusky area. The respect he earned from coaching, teaching at Perkins, and his involvement with swimming and diving at the local, state and national levels speaks volumes. He was a diver that became a swim coach, then himself became a swimmer and triathlete later in life. He led by example. Prayers and hugs to his family. He will be missed. Thanks Mr. G for the positive impact you had on my life..... and my brothers.

So sorry to the family. Amazing coach with far reaching impact.

Joe was my teacher,coach, mentor and friend. He inspired me to become a physical education teacher and high school swim coach. He helped me
overcome poor self-esteem issues and gave me the self confidence to pursue my dream career of teaching PE and coaching swimming. I´m sure what Joe did for me he´s done for many others Thanks, Joe.

Having taught with, coached with, and officiated both for and with Mr. G over the years there are not words to express all I learned from him. He was beyond knowledgeable, professional, and most of all a person everyone enjoyed sitting down for a chat with. It is a great loss to the swimming world and a bigger loss to anyone who knew him. RIP my friend!

His legacy is the competitive swimming programs in the Sandusky area. One of the most impactful individuals in my life as was true with hundreds of young people who worked with Coach G.

Joe touched many lives in such a great way. He especially impacted my life even to this day almost 60 years later. No doubt his legacy will live on.

To have taught the Red Cross Water Safety Instructor Course with Joe was a privilege, the experience enhanced not only my professional career but also my personal life.