Obituary: Cyril A. Grobbel, 85

Cyril A. Grobbel, Jr., 85, died Wednesday, October 19, 2011

He was the loving father of eight children: Cyril III (the late Mary Ann Mac), Melea, Marita (Dennis Andrus), Christopher (Karen Oliver), Regan Stolarski (Joseph), Jason (Renee Brown), Cassandra Budzik (Bob), Anastasia Minor (Scott); and beloved brother of Patricia Kemp (Bill); and devoted grandfather to 22 grandchildren.

Cy grew up in Grosse Pointe where he attended Grosse Pointe High School. As a teenager, he played saxophone in his band called the Sultans of Syncopation. In high school, he took a class in avionics and later enjoyed piloting small planes. He received his Bachelor of Science in Economics and Business Administration from University of Detroit and graduated in 1948. As a child, he always had a love of the water and boating and later taught his family about enjoying and  navigating the water ways of the Great Lakes.

He married in 1950 and raised his eight children in Grosse Pointe. He was the third generation owner of E.W. Grobbel Sons, founded in 1883. The company is the oldest independently owned corned beef company in the United States. Located in Detroit’s Eastern Market district, the company became well known for producing one of the best corned beef products in the country. After he retired, he moved to Port Huron and became the proud owner of Blue Water Boarding Kennels for the next 20 years.

Visitation at , 20705 Mack Ave, Grosse Pointe Woods, on Friday, Oct. 21 from 2 – 8 p.m. Funeral mass will be at , 157 Lake Shore, Grosse Pointe Farms, on Saturday, Oct. 22 at 10 a.m. Burial is at Mount Olivet Cemetery.