Dick Gruber remembered for commitment to work, community, family

If you’ve ever driven through Williamsport or Hagerstown, there’s a good chance you’ve passed by a building worked on or restored by Dick Gruber.

The Washington County Circuit Court, perhaps? Dick Gruber. St. Mark’s Lutheran Church? Dick Gruber. Buildings on the campus of Saint James School? Dick Gruber.

In his almost 80 years of life, Gruber left his footprint on practically every part of Washington County. Gruber died May 1, at age 79.

To some, Williamsport native Richard “Dick” Gruber might have just been the owner of a masonry and restoration company, but to others, he was a loving husband, a supportive father and a decades-long confidant, not to mention the person who spearheaded countless restoration projects across Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and Pennsylvania.

From laying pavers around where President Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address to restoring McClellan’s gate at Arlington National Cemetery, or even redoing the stone work on the house where John Brown stayed before the raid on Harpers Ferry, Gruber’s name might not be everywhere, but his fingerprints sure are.

Gruber's early days

A graduate of Williamsport High School and the State Teachers College at Frostburg— now Frostburg State University — Gruber taught physical education early on. In fact, this was when he met his wife of almost 50 years, Lynne Gruber, who also worked at Washington Street School, which is no longer in existence.

Gruber was also quite the soccer player. After playing in high school and college, he joined an adult soccer league in Williamsport.

According to Gruber’s longtime employee Chuck Stonebreaker, friends called Gruber “Roach” because he moved so quickly on the field.

Gruber’s daughter, Kelly Gruber Dohn, said she thinks he still holds the records for most goals in a single game at Frostburg.

Once he left teaching and started his business, Gruber Building Cleaning & Restoration, Gruber got to work taking on projects in Hagerstown and beyond. Throughout his 37 years owning a business, which is now called Gruber-Latimer Restoration, he worked on more than 200 churches, the stone arch bridges in Washington County and even houses in Shepherdstown, W.Va., used in the underground railroad.

According to Lynne, Gruber thought each day was a new adventure.

'He was in a fishing shirt and shorts'

As a boss, Gruber made sure he took care of his employees.

Stonebreaker, who was 10 years younger than Gruber and started working for him when he was 18, said Gruber was like an older brother. Gruber and his wife later were witnesses for Stonebreaker at his wedding.

A family friend, Gary Benchoff, once needed work and Gruber let Benchoff replace some window sills.

When Benchoff handed Gruber the invoice, Gruber cut him a check for three times the amount.

“There was nothing really said,” Dohn recounted. “(He) just knew (Benchoff) needed it and at that time, (Benchoff) was in a tight jam, needing some work.”

That was just the kind of person Gruber was.

“(Gruber) could talk to you and he followed and knew what was going on in your life and like, genuinely cared about what was happening,” Dohn said. “How you were doing, if you needed help with something. You could sit down with my dad and have a Miller Lite and talk about anything.”

Dohn said her father was a salt of the earth-type person. If you needed help, Gruber would help you. And he never forgot where he came from, Dohn said.

“When we buried my dad, he wasn’t in a suit and tie and all that,” Dohn said. “He was in a fishing shirt and shorts because that, to me, was how you would typically find my dad.”

Fishing was something Gruber and his son, Richie, shared. The pair loved to fish and they spent a lot of time on the water on their boat, “One Last Cast.”

“No matter how we were or where we were in our relationship, and how things were going, when we were out on the water fishing together, it was just two guys and that’s when I could really, I think, connect and resonate with him the most," Richie Gruber said, "and we could get away from everything and just truly connect and reconnect.”

A constant in the community

Gruber technically retired in 2001 after selling his business, but he never truly retired.

He stayed active in the community, spending time with the Washington County Public Schools vo-tech program, Hagerstown Community College, Fountainhead Country Club and the Boy Scouts of America.

Gruber was especially involved in Girls Inc. of Washington County. His wife, Lynne, had served on the board, and he spent years as the project manager, hiring contractors to expand the Girls Inc. building on Washington Ave. and provide a gymnasium and floor.

Maureen Grove, executive director of Girls Inc., said when Gruber initially joined the team to provide a gym to promote girls sports in the county, he scared her.

“(Gruber’s) demeanor seemed gruff,” Grove said. “But he is actually the complete opposite. He is a giant teddy bear.”

Other friends of Gruber echoed this perception.

“A lot of people in Hagerstown didn’t even know the kind side to Dick,” high school friend Marsha Knicely said. “(Gruber) had the biggest heart, and he would do anything for anybody. He did so much for the Girls Inc. He donated so much money across town and people don’t even know about it.”

Knicely, who founded Sagittarius Salon in Hagerstown 50 years ago, said Gruber was her best male friend and she could call and ask any question.

“If I needed to change the tires on my car, I would call Dick,” Knicely said. “If I had a business question about insurance for my business, I would call Dick. If I wanted anything, to invest money, I would call Dick. And it’s gonna make me cry because I’m really gonna miss him.”

What is Dick Gruber's lasting impact?

Many in Washington County will miss Gruber, but his legacy lives on beyond just the lives he touched or the buildings and monuments he restored. His name physically lives on in his former business, Gruber-Latimer Restoration.

Brien Poffenberger, current president of Gruber-Latimer, said the company still gets calls because of the sterling reputation Gruber left with the company in 2001.

When Gruber died earlier this month at home with his loved ones close by, it was difficult, his wife Lynne said, seeing such an active and robust person get sick and be confined to a bed.

But his impact will be felt for generations to come, as there are pieces of him in all the projects he worked on in Washington County.

The next time you drive to Hagerstown from Frederick, before you pass over South Mountain on Interstate 70, take a look at the "Welcome to Washington County" sign.

Because Dick Gruber did the stone work around that, too.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: 'Salt of the Earth': Dick Gruber left impact on employees, children