Alan Curtis Grubb

Where do you begin when talking about Alan Curtis Grubb? He was a renaissance man. He could do just about anything he set his mind to! His wife, Debbie, said he would make the perfect wife because he could cook, bake, clean, and do laundry. He created a successful business from scratch and renovated the homes he lived in.

His life began in humble beginnings in Flintstone, MD when he was born to Richard (deceased) and Josephine (94 years young) on August 20, 1953. He had three siblings here when he was born: Sandra, Richard (Dickey) (deceased), and James (Jim). For a while he was the youngest (and some say spoiled) child, then nine years later, Bonnie was born the day before his birthday and blew his status out of the water. The following year Carrie Jo came along and he was changing diapers just like everyone else.

While growing up on the mountain next to his grandparents he helped with the chores and learned how to be an independent thinker. He helped his grandpa with the garden, and his grandma with her flowers; he helped his father build the house they were living in (literally around the family) and, his most favorite time of all, he helped his mom in the kitchen (which is why he was such a foodie!). He remembered much of his time was spent playing in the woods and swimming in the family's pond.

He met Billie Jean in 10th grade and they married after graduation in 1972. Those rascals then created the five people that Alan was most proud of! First came Carisa (who now has her doctorate and wants us to call her 'Dr Carisa'), Angie (who got her degrees in Social Work and is a Nurse Practitioner), Heather (who has a double major BS in Information Technology and Business, and helped create the page you look at for your social security info), Candace (who is a Trauma Nurse and Nursing Professor), and Little Alan (who is a forest ranger and created the curriculum at Frostburg State University for his chosen field, and is not so little - standing at 6'2"). Alan would say, "I never went to college, but everyone one of my kids did!" A proud papa indeed!

These amazing people gifted him with five astounding grandchildren: Brock (17yo), Daniel (15yo), Emily (12yo), Mia (7yo), and Emma (7yo) who affectionately called him 'Opa' and loved to romp, wrestle, and play with him. You could see the joy in his eyes whenever they were around. Alan was a kid at heart and had a joking, teasing manner that attracted kids to him.

His love also encompassed his stepchildren: Jenn and Joe, and his step-grandchildren, Joaquin (17yo), Janae (11yo), Zoe (19yo), and Mia (10yo), who sorely miss his funny jokes and big bear hugs.

Alan was working in Baltimore in 2002 when he met his third wife, Debbie, through Match.com. The third time was the charm! They clicked instantly and have been together ever since. When helping people remember their names they would say "Remember the choreographer, Debbie Allen? We're like her...Dancing Through Life Together!" They were a team going through life committed to each other - facing life's challenges together.

Alan was a natural entrepreneur, being born into a family that owned a candy and nut shop in Cumberland that morphed into a chocolate company. He eventually owned and ran the company, building it into a successful wholesale business that sold to Neiman Marcus, the gift shop at Monticello, and shops throughout the southeast.

He worked for Jasper Transmissions and Engines until 2009 when the financial crash found him without a job and he decided to start his own business again. He began 4U Home Inspection in 2010 on angel wings and prayers.

It was at one of his first home inspections when Alan was helping a young couple with a baby buy their first home that he realized how much he loved helping people find a safe investment for their future. He said, "I felt like they could have been my own kids!" It was with this heartfelt compassion that he built his business.

His first break came when he met John Hallis at a Keller Williams meeting and volunteered to help with their charity 'Red Day'. They began to work together and soon became fast friends. John spread the word and helped Alan get more work. He became so busy he hired Rob McColley, then David Kemp who became his star inspectors.

In 2015 Debbie joined the company and moved it out of their house to a small office in Ellicott City. She realized she needed help and soon Lily, Lee, and Corrin joined 4U Home to become an extraordinary team. Roger and Ritik rounded out our team of outstanding inspectors and catapulted 4U Home to be one of the top home inspection companies in central Maryland.

Alan joined HCAR, GBBR, AACAR to help REALTORs by teaching home inspection classes for free. He helped REALTORs to build their businesses, joined committees, donated to RPAC, served on HCAR's Board of Directors, and participated in any way he could to help the real estate community that he loved.

In 2021 he was diagnosed with melanoma and he and Debbie realized that there was no guarantee in life. They decided to sell the house, sell the business, and fulfill Alan's dream of living somewhere warm with his 'butt on a beach'. They moved to Akumal, Mexico, where Alan indulged in his love of food by making artisan sourdough bread, creating neighbors favorite ice cream flavors for them, going on walks, learning to play golf, and swimming in the sea (or cenote) and, yes, planting his butt on the beach. He would frequently say to Debbie, "This is why we moved here! We are living in paradise!".

On May 30th, Alan's left arm became limp. They saw a neurosurgeon and were blindsided with the news that his melanoma had metastasized throughout his brain and body. With strength and courage Alan fought this terrible disease as best he could with humor, love, and determination. The world lost a beautiful light too soon, too fast, on August 8th.

If you would like to honor Alan, it would make him so happy if you would do a random act of kindness everyday for someone you meet and ask them to pay it forward, get a health screening with an annual PET scan, and don't wait to get your butt on a beach.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.witzkefuneralhomes.com for the Grubb family.