Dr. Robert George Grossman
January 24, 1933 - October 7, 2021

"I was Dr. Grossman's patient in 1981; he saved my life. I think the world of him. Our paths crossed in August of 2019 which was such a gift to see him to thank him again. He was the kindest man in the world and will never be forgotten. My heartfelt condolences to his entire family. Kim (Sabo) Geisendorff"

"Robert was the best of the best, a wonderful humanitarian and a gifted surgeon, teacher and researcher. When I needed help, he stepped in quickly and operated taking me out of pain immediately. He loved his family dearly and will be forever missed. Kay McGuire"

"It was a privilege and a pleasure to have had the opportunity to work with Dr. Grossman. He was an excellent physician and the epitome of a gentleman. The world is a better place for having had Dr. Grossman in it. Sincere condolences on your loss and may his memory live forever. Clifton J. Babineaux, CRNS (Ret.) "

"Dr. Grossman did surgery on our daughter, Sharon Cahill, in 1994 for a brain tumor and we feel so blessed and fortunate that he was her surgeon Not only was he a great surgeon but was so passionate and caring and when he came to talk to our family after the surgery and explain how everything went----and everything went great--- he sat with us and joined all of us as we cried and hugged him and each other celebrating the wonderful news that he had removed the tumor completely. Sharon and her husband were living in Arlington at that time and when her doctor found out she had a tumor at the 3rd and 4th ventricle blocking the spinal fluid from draining off her brain she was admitted to Arlington Memorial Hospital and Dr. Jeff Heitkamp was to do her surgery. After studying her MRI he said he didn't feel comfortable trying to remove the tumor as he wasn't sure whether it was solid or liquid so he put in a shunt to get the fluid off and recommended they find a more experienced surgeon for doing the removal. Richard's ---Sharon's husband--Mother was in a trial study at Methodist Hospital here in Houston so she asked the doctor doing the study for a recommendation and Dr. Grossman was the recommendation We are so grateful that we were fortunate to have gotten that recommendation as we don't feel our daughter would be here today without having been put in contact with him She never had any seizures or complications after her surgery He is always in our prayers and will continue to be as well as each one of you--his family. Thank you all for sharing him with all of us--his patients. Elaine and Jerry Paul "

"My first position as a neurosurgery faculty member was in Dr. Grossman?s department at Baylor. At that time I had a vague sense that his department was special. But it took me many years to recognize that I could not have had a better chair to help me start an academic career. He was always encouraging and always patient, even when my mistakes might suggest that neither encouragement nor patience were to be expected. To this day, when I face difficult situations, I often try to solve them by thinking of how he would have handled them?even after these many years. He will be sorely missed but never forgotten. Alex Valadka "

"Dr. Grossman was my mentor and my friend. He recruited me to come and work with him in Houston many years ago, and from the moment I arrived he was kind, compassionate, and always interested in and supportive of my endeavors. He taught me how to refine my scientific skills to think critically, analytically, and yet creatively, and led by example in this regard. He helped me refine and focus on my scientific research, and spent countless hours with me poring over the details of studies, experiments, and manuscripts, always thinking of how to make our work better. He also lead by example with his care of his patients. He went the extra mile for every single patient, no matter how easy or difficult it was. He always had time for patients and to talk to people who needed him. Even when he really didn?t have the time. He built a first rate nationally acclaimed Department of Neurosurgery, and was responsible for countless innovations in our field. Contributions to the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy revolutionized therapy for these patients, and will serve as guide posts for decades to come. Similar contributions to our understanding of movement disorders were also iconic But much more than that, he was an exemplary human being, full of love, kindness, support, and human goodness. Every interaction with him was a great experience, and you even knew that then, not to mention how much more precious these times are now as I reflect back on them. If ever there was a ?life well lived?, It was the life of Robert Grossman. May we all be inspired by his example and make every minute of our time on this earth meaningful not only for ourselves, but for the many others who we come into contact with every day. We can best honor his memory by emulating him, and by striving to be the kind of person that he was every day. There is a hole in my heart since he is gone that will never be healed, but I am comforted by the fact that the world is a much better place because of who he was and all that he did for humankind. David S. Baskin,MD "

"Dr. Grossman was a wonderful teacher, mentor, leader, humanitarian. I will forever be in his debt. He was both strong and gentle in his leadership style and I have tried to follow his lead in my professional life and it has served me well. My heart goes out to his family and all those that loved him, just as I did, but he lives on in all of those that he trained in the wonderful art and science of Neurosurgery. We were all fortunate to be his pupils. "

"Dr. Grossman was a wonderful Doctor and individual. It was an honor to work with him for over 30 years on the Methodist Hospital acute care neurosurgery unit. He was extremely supportive of the staff, residents and physicians. His leadership during the Baylor College of Medicine and Houston Methodist split and the creation of the Neurological Institute was a very significant step in making that transition. One of my fondest memories was having Dr. Grossman and Ellin attend our unit parties on the 3-11 shift which included freshly fried Filipino egg rolls, pancit, chicken curry, and fried chicken..I think he would go home and pick up Ellin so they both could attend."

"For the Family but especially for the grandkids: Dive Mom remembers Bob fondly. ?Over the lifetime of teaching you remember many students and classes you teach but sometimes someone will stand out and you will remember forever. For me, Bob is one of those students. Bob and Ellin decided to take their grandchildren and children on a Galapagos Expedition where snorkeling was going to be part of that adventure. Having not really been a water person like his son-in-law Mike, he thought he should learn something about this. With Mike and Amy?s encouragement, Bob Ellin and the grandchildren jumped in. We met at the West University Colonial Park Pool. At that time, the pool was much like the Rec Center pool except that in the winter it had an inflatable bubble top over the facility. As many of you know, snorkeling is one of my favorite classes to teach. This is especially true when it is a brand new experience for them. So outfitted with new equipment and suits, and with Mike as my assistant, we spent several hours in the pool learning how to snorkel. After we had changed and were getting ready to leave, we met again deck side, and Bob had one more question. He wanted to make sure he had recorded all the information from the session and asked me to show him in detail the proper placement of the snorkel. To my awe and amazement, he had drawn a series of sketches, along with notes on white index cards detailing our lesson. I vividly remember the detailed drawing of the head, with a mask, and the proper angle of the snorkel with notes and arrows with the details of the proper placement of the snorkel and where it should be above the water and while snorkeling. It was if he was writing a textbook on snorkeling. Bob was an educator and had written six textbooks on Neurosurgery and yet, he was the consummate student seeking knowledge and making notes so he would remember what he learned when he went snorkeling in the Galapagos. I on the other hand was humbled as a teacher. And as I read his bio earlier this week I smile at two things, the comments about his white note cards that went with him everywhere. And of course he was a student of life and a teacher. I also learned that he still snorkeled in the pool with his grandchildren. As professionals and teachers we can admire Robert Grossman for his dedication to learning and to seeking new approaches. He was never too proud or afraid to learn.? Our thoughts and prayers are with Ellin, and Mike and Amy Coburn and their children and family. Thanks Mike for introducing us to them all. Ann and Eric Keibler Oceanic Ventures, Houston, Texas Blessings "

"Dear Ellen and family members of Dr. Grossman: Dr. Grossman?s legacy, noble character and virtue have had long lasting impacts on the lives of my graduate students, colleagues and myself. Besides his outstanding professional status, we experienced first-hand his kindness and genuine care through the past 13 years (2008-2021), to attend the issues we encountered at work or in health, that we could not thank him enough, and no longer can in person now. Grateful to have the opportunity working with Dr. Grossman, one of our most respected collaborators, for these 13 years. Thank you for his mentorship, insightful advices. We'll miss him a great deal. Dr. Diana S-L Chow with alumni graduated from the project, Drs. Angela Tang, Mahua Sarkar, Ashley Nguyen and Westley Eure, Colleague, Dr. Romi Ghose, and Friend Ms. Carrie Chang"

"A true mensch, in every sense of the word - generous with his time, wisdom, and compassion. I learned so much from him. He was exceptionally kind - and helpful - to our family when my brother was injured. To his family - I as so sorry for your loss. "

"Dear Jennifer; My heart is broken for you and your family. My deepest sympathies to you all.   I had the privilege of working with your dad for 14 years. It was the highlight of my career!  He was such a kind, considerate man. When I first started working with him I didn?t know how renowned and respected he was, but I quickly found out!  No matter where I called ( wether it be the file room , scheduling, other doctor?s offices,  the corporate office,  patients, other hospitals) once they knew that I was calling on behalf of Dr Grossman people would go out of their way to get what he needed.  And more times than not, someone would have a story about how Dr. Grossman helped them or a family member.  I quickly learned what a special man and doctor I was working with.  Your dad was not just a ?boss? to me. I considered him a friend.  I actually got comfortable calling him ?Dr G?.   I would tell him how glad I was that I worked ?for? him and he would always say ?we work together? to help patients. When I would try to give him any praise he always shifted the praise from him to me. That?s how he was. He always made you feel like you were part of the special one. I learned so much just from watching how he treated patients. I loved working in clinic with him because I learned a lot about neurosurgery and just how to treat people. He respected people and in turn they truly respected him. I once asked Dr. Grossman the secret to his success. He said ?take a lunch break every day?. I know there was more to it than that. For instance , those 3 x 5 cards. I still, to this day, think his success had something to do with those cards he carried in his pocket!! I never did get him to reveal the secret of those cards. If you knew Dr. Grossman you know what I?m talking about. This world became a little dimmer when your dad passed. But he will forever be in our hearts and minds. He was not a giant man in stature but he was a giant man. He will forever be missed. My husband and I recently moved out of Houston and won?t be able to make it to the funeral, which makes my heart sad. But he will forever be in my heart. He definitely made a permanent impression on me and my family. May your family be comforted during this time. Sincerely, Teresa Marquez Sent from my iPhone"

"? Rest In Peace Dr. Grossman. It was an honor to work with you for more than 25 years in Neurosurgery at Houston Methodist Hospital. I will always remember your kindness and how much you cared about your patients, the nurses, surgical technologists, residents, and surgeons. It always brings a smile to my face to recall, during my tenure as manager of Neurosugery, when you would ask if the ?guys? were behaving, knowing that if one of them wasn?t, they would be having a ?G? talk from you ?. I will never forget your support, friendship and all your contributions to the field of Neurosurgery. My sincerest sympathies to your family and friends. I will miss you so? Joyce Hall "

"Dear Ellin and the entire Grossman family: I had the honor of knowing and working with Dr. Grossman for more than two decades, but it didn't take long for me to understand that I was in the presence of a singular man. Intellectually curious and gifted, gentle and caring, he became a wonderful mentor to me and the others who worked alongside him in the North American Clinical Trials Network and the Reeve International Research Consortium on Spinal Cord Injury. Mostly though he was my friend and his passing leaves a real void in my world. He was extraordinarily generous with his time, knowledge and expertise and he left the world a far better place for having been in it. I hope and pray that will give you his family, and his friends and colleagues, comfort at this difficult time. Susan Howley, Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation"

"Dear Ellin, and the Grossman children and grandchildren, I can imagine the extent of your loss, because as a colleague and friend I feel a significant loss. He was a great leader because of his wisdom, and the love he offered all of us. My association with Bob encompassed several decades and it was a great pleasure for me to work with him on NACTN and the Chris Reeve Consortium. His interest and knowledge of the neurosciences made him a highly respected expert, and his quiet, yet determined personality made him an ideal leader and authority. His contributions will be remembered, and I am personally very grateful to him for including me in his good works. Respectfully, Charles H. Tator, OC, MD, PHD. Prof of Neurosurgery, University of Toronto. "

"The most respected and respectful neurosurgeon in the business. All men and women he connected with can say they learned about life and many other things from Dr Grossman. Reading through his obituary makes one feel lazy. What an exemplary life. Sincerest condolences and best wishes to Ellin and a great family. "

"Dr. Grossman was the absolute best. I grew up as a child living across the street from him, and loved watching him work in the yard wearing his galoshes. As a Texan, I had never seen galoshes before, and was fascinated by them. He was the sweetest, humblest person, and raised three wonderful kids. When I had my own devastating back injury a few years ago, I would only allow Dr. Grossman to operate on me. I went into the hospital in excruciating pain, and walked out a new person. Because of Dr. Grossman, I am pain free to this day. Dr. Grossman always made me feel at ease - what an honor to know such an incredible man. He will be missed by all!"

"May his memory be a blessing - Joel, Debra, Carrie Ruby and Steve Wolf"