The Story of Dr. Gary Grote
“To her the name of father was another name for love.” — Fanny Fern
BY NIKKI GROTE RHODES
G
rote means “big, tall man” in German, or so I have always been told. My dad says he is 6
feet 4 inches tall, but he seems much taller than that to me. I have always said, “he may
look like a grizzly bear, but he is really just a big teddy bear with a heart made of gold.”
Part of what defines my dad is his size. He sees the world from “up there.” Until recently, I didn’t
realize how much his size defines him. Some things we don’t notice until they are gone.
JUNE 2015
PA R K E R C O U N T Y T O D AY
In addition to his height, my dad is just big man. Weighing in at over 300 pounds, I have been
nagging at him to get a grip on his sweet tooth for years. In response, he usually just smiles as he
takes another bite of his doughnut. But that is my dad. You’ve got to love him. Almost everyone
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Pictured above: J.C. Rhodes, Tucker Morton, Nelda Rhodes, James Rhodes, Jr., Brandy Rains, Ben McDuff, Cheryl Gray, Nikki Grote
Rhodes, Jeff Grote, Gare Grote, Liz Grote, Doris Grote, Gary Grote, Lorine Metz