By: Brian Zanzonico
The village lost one of its treasures when Grossmann, patriarch of a family that operates the last farm on Long Island's South Shore, died of a lung ailment on Dec. 30. He was 81.
The owner of Grossmann's Farm and a 55-year member of the Malverne Fire Department was forced into retirement last April. His daughters, Elizabeth Grossmann-Rung and Barbara Kutcher, said that years of exposure to pesticides and fertilizers without a breathing apparatus turned his once pliable lungs into hunks of "cement."
"I always said, he had four basic things he loved in his life: his wife of 57 years, Mildred; his beloved farm; his family; and being a member of the Malverne Fire Department," Kutcher said.
Grossmann was the third-generation owner of Grossmann's Farm, which was established after his German immigrant grandfather, George, bought seven acres of land in 1895. In the early days, his grandfather would load the farm's potatoes, peas and other vegetables into a horse-drawn wagon and haul them to Manhattan to sell. In 1923, the year of Grossmann's birth in a Civil War-era farmhouse on the corner of Ocean and Hempstead avenues that still stands, the family opened a roadside farm stand.
Grossmann worked on the farm throughout his youth, and was studying at Cornell when World War II broke out. Given the choice of enlisting or returning to the farm, Grossmann headed back to Malverne. He married the former Mildred Stryker in 1947 and moved to Franklin Square. In 1951 he joined the Malverne Fire Department, rising to the rank of chief in 1965. The couple raised three children, Barbara, George and Elizabeth.
When George Grossman died in 1953, Grossmann and his sister, Barbara, who died last September at age 91, became business partners. Barbara, realizing that the family needed financial sustenance during the farm's Dec. 24-to-May 1 offseason, suggested growing flowers in a greenhouse. The flower business flourished, and the Grossmanns have since added several greenhouses to the farm.
Grossmann never answered to a boss and never called in sick, even with the flu, a pulsing head cold or the arthritis that attacked his hands late in life. Though the community around him and farming technology changed, Grossmann's approach to work always remained the same. "He always worked," said Kutcher. "He'd have a terrible cold and give it to everybody here, but he'd never miss a day."
Grossmann took classes with Grossmann-Rung until recently to stay abreast of agricultural advancements. But as a young man, he was reluctant to change his method of farming. Grossmann did his early farming with two horses, like his grandfather. In the 1950s he finally gave in to modernity, and bought a Ford tractor. He added more equipment over the years and kept it so well maintained that it is still operational today.
Every piece of equipment Grossman ever purchased was adorned with flowers and parked outside the farm as the funeral procession made its way down Hempstead Avenue last week. The previous night Jan. 3, more than 150 members of the Malverne and neighboring fire departments packed Malverne Funeral Home to pay their respects. An honor guard stood at attention beside the casket. "He deserved every honor he got," Kutcher said.
Grossmann-Rung had grown especially close to her father after graduating from the University of Massachusetts in the 1980s. She came home with a degree in hotel restaurant management, and as each summer approached, she began working alongside her father. But like three generations before her, Grossmann-Rung made farming into a career. Over time, she added a country store, with teddy bears, cards and other gift items. Kutcher contributed baked goods and gourmet items to the produce shop. Mother Mildred, meanwhile, handled the paperwork.
"My grandfather was happy to pass the oak," Kutcher said. "My father was reluctant. He wanted to work side by side with us."
"We grew so close," Grossmann-Rung said about working with her father.
Grossmann was going strong until April 2004, when he began having difficulty breathing and saw a doctor. Doctors said farm chemicals had poisoned his lungs, and for two months Grossmann was in and out of rehabilitation. Though unable to work, he was still capable of handling the business end of the farm. He gave orders and expected them to be followed.
"He had to give it up physically, but never mentally. This was his farm, and he was going to run it," Kutcher said.
He spent his final six months at home. "We all tried to do our part to keep the farm going," Kutcher said in her eulogy. "Mom did as much as she could between visiting Dad at the hospitals and rehab facilities and ultimately taking care of him at home. Scott [Grossmann-Rung's husband] became the tractor man prepping the fields. Bob [Kutcher's husband] drove each morning to pick up corn and other veggies until we closed. [Longtime employee] Bobby Cook and [grandson] Kevin worked those fields. Elizabeth [Grossmann-Rung] kept my dad's mind at ease by taking over the daily running of things with [granddaughter] Courtney being her 'right-hand man.' I filled in whenever necessary. ... That fierce pride kicked in, and we weren't about to fail."
Days before his death, Grossmann's daughters said he appeared to be getting better. On Dec. 29, he mustered the energy to attend two wakes at the Malverne Funeral Home. He died a day later, and was waked in the same funeral home.
"As a kid growing up in town, passing the farm and seeing Mr. Grossmann working the field on his tractor, I always got a kick out of it," said Malverne Police Chief Glen Jacobsen. "That farm is the charm of Malverne, the last of the old farms. With Mr. Grossmann out there, you always knew spring was here."
For years, developers have attempted to purchase the farm from the Grossmanns. Just days after their father died, Kutcher and Grossmann-Rung began receiving offers for the farm. They said it is not for sale, and will remain in the family.
Grossmann is survived by his wife, three children and six grandchildren.
Comments about this story? Mal-wheditor@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 240.
