A. Michael McGrath, Jr.

Mike McGrath was a caring husband and father, and a loving servant of God. He was the firstborn child of Mary and Arthur McGrath. Born in Plainfield, New Jersey on August 13, 1936, Mike eventually settled in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Mike has two brothers - Pete and Dan McGrath. He attended Grand Rapids Central High School and was the Senior Class President and the football team quarterback. With a scholarship from the University of Michigan, he graduated in 1959 with a degree in Chemical Engineering. One week later he married his high school sweetheart and remained married for the next 63 years until Jeanne passed away on November 15, 2023.

Mike’s children found a draft biography that he wrote in May of 2009, just before his 50th wedding anniversary. If you would like to read more about his life in his own words (and witty words at that), please scroll past "SERVICES" below.

The most important legacy Mike left was in the way he lived his life. He was a role model to his family, friends, and employees. He “walked the walk”, demonstrating his love of neighbor in almost everything he did. He did not preach about his faith, but “lived” his faith as a devout Catholic, loyal husband and devoted father.

Mike was committed to his Catholic faith. He was so determined to not miss Mass that his teenagers remember, while living in Muscatine, Iowa, trudging through deep snow to get to church because the roads were closed. During his retirement years in Pensacola, he delivered the Holy Eucharist to homebound parishioners for years. He was quick to provide food, goods, money, or an open ear to anyone in his life. He would truly have offered the shirt off his back if someone was in need. He did the right thing - even if unpopular or when no one was looking. Mike was such a humble man that his family is still learning new information about his service to others.

Mike had great respect for all people. When talking with him, he listened so intently, and asked such relevant questions, encouraging others to interact with him. Kathy, Michael, Dan and Susan - through childhood to adulthood - always felt heard and knew that he would stop anything he was doing to give them attention, support, advice, or a big hug.

Mike had an incredible sense of humor, likely encouraged by his mother, Mary. Nothing made him laugh harder than his family’s reaction to the practical (and constant) jokes he conjured up in his ever-processing mind. His children will never forget his impish smile and guilty looking face when he was caught in the act of a practical joke.

His sons will forever remember the surprise wrestling matches (which he enjoyed until he was outsized by growing boys), the running, cycling, and triathlon events, fishing trips, firewood adventures in the Ford Falcon, camping/hiking trips, and all of the advice and support he provided over the years. He was given respect not because he asked for it but because he deserved it.

His daughters will forever remember the love, respect, and faithfulness he showed them, and how that influenced their ability to make decisions about their future husbands. Their father had unusual ways of showing attention - like when Kathy or Susan went on dates as teenagers. He would act as though he was going on that date with them, even to the point of dressing up and walking out the front door! They will laugh when they recall him mortifying them in public by doing weird things (pretending to trip and fall) or wearing weird disguises (like a wig) when meeting them at the airport. They will be at peace knowing that they had a father who loved them fully and taught them to love in the same way.

There are not enough words to adequately describe this remarkable man. He lived a happy, adventurous, successful life, rooted in his love for God and those around him.

Rest in peace beloved father. We will see you in heaven, dancing with Mom and laughing with Susan!

SERVICES: Memorial Mass of Christian Burial 1pm Tuesday, March 11, 2025, St. Mark Catholic Church, 4200 Ripa Ave., St. Louis, MO 63125.

Final resting place in Mount Hope Cemetery.

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In Mike's own words...

Arthur Michael McGrath, Jr (Mike): Born in Plainfield NJ; Aug. 13, 1936

Moved with Mom and Dad when I was around 4 years old from New Jersey to Grand Rapids, MI, for a couple years, then to Superior, WI (where my brothers Pete and Dan were born) for about 3 years, and then back to Grand Rapids. Changed grade schools 4 times, then 6 years of junior high and high school all at Grand Rapids Central. High school is a blur now, but I realize how fortunate I was to have had excellent teachers and coaches during that formative time in my life.

I enjoyed being on the football and track teams and in the honor society, as well as many other extra-curricular activities. Became president of the senior class thanks to borrowing President Dwight Eisenhower's successful campaign slogan: "I like Ike"­ converted to "I like Mike". The highlight of the summers in GR during junior and senior high school and even the college years was the Hendershott family cottage at Gun Lake. That's where Pete, Dan and I really took to the fishing, boating and water-skiing. Pete and Dan were really good. While being pulled on a 3' diameter disc and holding the tow rope in one hand and a wooden stool in the other they would set the stool on the disc, stand on the stool and rotate the disc in 360-degree circles as they were being pulled. And there are pictures to prove it. Also, that's where I caught my first Walleye. Of course, I had received extensive coaching from Chuck H. (the family fishing guru), Dad, Grandpa H. and even Chuck's Grandpa C. That fish weighed about 25 lbs. Well, OK, maybe 3 lbs. And no--I don't have a photo.

Graduated from Central High in 1954 with a University of Michigan scholarship and enrolled in a 5-year chemical engineering program. Joined the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity my freshman year. Had a "meal job" as a cook's helper, years 2 and 3, at the ZTA sorority, and as kitchen steward at our fraternity, years 4 and 5. A "meal job" consisted of working at mealtime as a waiter, dishwasher or cook's helper in exchange for hurried meals in a cramped kitchen. No cash involved, but the food was plentiful.

Summer jobs while in college included GR Board of Education (maintenance), Stowe Davis Furniture Co.(warehouse), GR Paint and Varnish Co. (laboratory) and Upjohn Pharmaceuticals in Kalamazoo (plant operations). Completed the 4 year Army ROTC program including "summer camp" at Ft. Campbell, KY, fully expecting to receive my commission as a 200 Lt. immediately upon graduation and begin active duty. Unfortunately, because of a latent hip/lower back problem revealed in eleventh hour x-rays

I was rejected--and dejected. Managed to get a last-minute job offer from Monsanto and graduated in June 1959 with a Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering (a Hendershott habit that has plagued a number of us--including Pete and Dan!)

One week after graduation, on June 20 1959, I married my high school sweetheart-­ cheerleader captain at crosstown rival Catholic Central-the lovely and talented Jeanne Zamiaral After graduating from high school in 1954, Jeanne went to Aquinas College in GR her freshman and sophomore years, then transferred to the U of M for her junior and senior years, joined the Sigma Kappa sorority and graduated in 1958 with a bachelor's degree in Speech Therapy. Following graduation, she moved to Jackson, MI and worked in the public school system as a speech therapist, while I was completing my fifth and final year at the U of M.

After the wedding we headed for Brentwood, MO --a suburb of St. Louis-- in Jeanne's 1950 Plymouth, loaded with all our earthly possessions, including my fishing tackle (she couldn't believe it) for our honeymoon at Lake of the Ozarks. My employment with Monsanto began the first week of July I959 at a large, old, smelly, noisy, rusty, chemical manufacturing facility called the W.G. Krummrich Plant, in E. St. Louis, lL. I loved it!

During the next IO years at that plant, we moved from Brentwood to Caseyville IL, then to Belleville, lL; and had four great kids who all proved to be real troopers--not to mention Jeanne, obviously--through those and subsequent moves. Those early years with Monsanto at the Krummrich Plant were a real education: 2 years in technical service, 4 years in production supervision, 2 years as plant labor relations supervisor, and 2 years as plant accounting superintendent. It was fast paced and hard nosed, an excellent training ground. Also, during that time, I earned my MBA at St. Louis University. In early 1970 I accepted a transfer to the Pensacola Plant in the Textiles Div. as a manufacturing supt. The job was challenging, and Pensacola was a fun family place to live.

It was in Pensacola that Jeanne began her art career. She took classes in oil painting and painted regularly. She exhibited in local art shows and even sold some of her work. It has proved to be a wonderful hobby for her (and even now, If I really like one of her works, she might discount it for me!). The kids and I all "plunged'' into water related activities--fishing, seining, shelling, boating--what an opportunity (including scuba diving for me). Of course there are many fish stories from those days. One of my favorites goes back to our first year in Pensacola, before we had our own boat dock. The kids would fish from the neighbor's dock (his name was Mr. Fisher, no kidding) that they had to wade out to, because the first 50 feet or so had been wiped out some time previously by a hurricane. On this particular occasion, Dan, age 7 at the time, caught a pretty nice, speckled trout (about I8-20") and somehow managed to land it and get it back to the house apparently without telling anyone. He slipped it into Kathy's bathtub and filled the tub. He was so proud of that fish that he was trying to keep it alive to show it to me when I got home from work. We all had a big laugh--except maybe Kathy. Kids baseball was another popular activity for us. Michael and Dan played on Dixie Youth teams and developed into pretty darn good ballplayers. The coaches were good, the teams were competitive, and the games were the highlight of our social lives.

Pensacola was a difficult place to leave-for all of us-- but after 6 years I was offered the plant manager's job in AgChemicals in El Dorado, AR; too good an opportunity to turn down. After about a year and a half there, I was asked to take the plant manager's job at a larger plant, still in Ag, in Muscatine IA. We moved to Muscatine in Sep 1977.

It was really tough to pull up stakes one more time, in June of 1979, after less than 2 years at Muscatine. Kathy was beginning her sophomore year at the Univ of IA, so it didn't affect her as much as the others, but Michael, Dan and Susan were about to begin their high school senior, junior and sophomore years respectively. And Jeanne was working part-time on her Master's degree. However, they all rose to the occasion once again and we moved to St. Louis (Corp. headquarters) where, as Manufacturing Director, I was responsible for the El Dorado AR, Anniston AL, Fayetteville NC Plants and Ag manufacturing operations outside the US. This was a good move for me, the family got a chance to settle in so to speak, Jeanne was finally able to complete her Master's degree, and the increased business travel was not a burden. In fact, it opened the door to opportunities for Jeanne and each of our kids to visit Europe.

During the years since the emergence of the hip problem that derailed my military career, I sought out forms of exercise that might be rehabilitative and fitness inducing. For example, tennis and basketball were harmful, but jogging, biking and swimming were helpful. Consequently, I became an avid runner (avid, not gifted) and biker. I completed the St. Louis Marathon in 1981, then cut back to shorter runs and an occasional short triathlon, which I still do, provided the event has a "geezer" division.

In Sept 1984 I accepted an assignment as Director of Manufacturing and Technology in the Fabricated Products Div (still in St. Louis--no relocation involved!) There were 6 manufacturing plants in the division and a Technology Center. Monsanto had concerns about the long-term viability of this business and wanted to make a careful assessment of its future prospects. It was a low tech, slow growth, low margin business that we ended up, in early 1987, selling to the Ball Corp. I was glad this assignment was over.

I moved back into Ag in the Animal Sciences Division as Project Director, which opened a new and fascinating chapter in my career with Monsanto. The assignment was to: a) Complete construction of a manufacturing facility at an Austrian plant that was a subsidiary of a Swiss pharmaceutical company, b) Meet the design parameters (e.g. product quality, capacity, cost) on an accelerated schedule, then c) Triple the capacity. The product was BGH, a genetically engineered copy of the growth hormone produced by cows to enhance milk production. The job was extremely challenging, and educational. The technology and the Austrian location made this assignment an unforgettable experience. I stayed on, in St. Louis, as Director of Manufacturing until the day I left Monsanto, May 31, 1993.

I was wooed to San Diego by a biotech startup company, Telios Pharmaceuticals, Inc, with "an offer l couldn't refuse"--new technology, good salary, bushels of stock options, San Diego ambiance. My new job title was Director of Process Development and Pilot Plant Manufacturing. Less than 2 years later the bubble burst, the company folded, and by mid-July 1995 I was unemployed for the first time since about my freshman year in high school. I'm still unemployed (but not looking for a job). We've been living the good life in Pensacola since late 1997. We still travel quite a bit-China, Kenya, Antarctica in the last 4 years, as well as visits to Madison and St. Louis to see our kids and grandkids.

With the responsibilities of bringing home the bacon and raising a family now comfortably behind us, I have the luxury of looking back on a life that so far, has been full of challenges, fun, excitement and the ups and downs we all experience as we "grow up". It's really satisfying to recall experiences we have had as a family; and as a result, to appreciate the wonderful wife I've had at my side and the outstanding "kids" I've been blessed with. They are the ones that make my recollections so rich and rewarding. This year we celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary. More good times ahead.