Karel Grohmann

Karel Grohmann, 77

Karel Grohmann of Davenport passed away on Wednesday, January 13, 2021 at Shands Hospital in Gainesville.

He was born December 31, 1943 in Czechoslovakia and moved to the United States in 1969 to pursue a PhD in Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Houston. Karel had an accomplished 30+ year career as a scientist, inventor and entrepreneur working at the California Institute of Technology, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Solar Energy Research Institute at the Department of Energy, and at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Winter Haven. During retirement he shifted focus to his environmental concerns, by designing and helping to pilot a citrus-waste to fuel ethanol production plant. Karel had authored and collaborated on 120 publications, filed 14 patent applications, and was awarded 10 U.S patents.

In Karel’s youth, he enjoyed hunting and fishing in Colorado. His hobbies also included snorkeling in the Caribbean and he often reflected on his time spear fishing in Isla Mujeres, Mexico.  Karel also had a fascination with geology and enjoyed attending gemology conventions.  He will always be remembered for his brilliant mind, thirst for knowledge, quick wit, sarcastic humor, and most notably, kind heart.

Karel is survived by his companion, Gaila Bazhenova of Davenport, FL; his sister, Ilona Kucerova, and nephews Jiri Kucera and Petr Pekar of the Czech Republic.

A visitation will be held from 2:00PM until the memorial service at 3:00PM, Thursday January 21, 2021 at Marion Nelson Funeral Home in Lake Wales. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the American Heart Association in his memory.