Dr. Jerome T. Grismer passed away on November 4th, 2016, in Flagstaff, Arizona with his beloved wife Jane at his side. He was 91. He is survived by 3 siblings, 10 children/stepchildren, their spouses, and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his first wife Katie, second wife Terry, brother Jack and stepdaughter Sandy.

He grew up in Dayton, Ohio and left Dayton to begin his medical career at the University of Cincinnati, Ohio. He served in the Army Medical Corps during the Korean War. He was a founding member of the 38th Parallel Medical Society of Korea. Afterwards, he submitted several stories about his experience to the television show MASH and they were used in some of the episodes. He completed his surgical residency in Portland, Oregon. He practiced medicine in Portland; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and Little Rock, Arkansas.

He loved the practice of medicine and was renowned for his bedside manner and surgical skills. He was at the forefront of pediatric cardiac surgery in the early 1960s as one of the first surgeons to perform open heart surgery at a private hospital in the Minneapolis, St. Paul area. He did a nine month Fellowship at the University of Minnesota in 1962. During that same time period, he obtained a grant to establish the cardiopulmonary section at Mount Sinai hospital. He was a founding member of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. In Little Rock, he worked at the Veteran's Administration Hospital as a thoracic surgeon and was the associate chief of staff for education, teaching surgery at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Medical School. He was a popular professor and was presented with a "Red Sash," an award given by the students to a member of the faculty. He provided compassionate, dedicated and loving care for all his patients and shared his wealth of knowledge with physicians in training.

He was a Renaissance man, who loved to learn. He always wanted the latest in electronics, but his family was never quite sure that he learned to use them. He enjoyed his family and friends, scuba diving, traveling, fishing, and the outdoors. He was an artist, drawing and painting watercolors, and writing short stories, one of which was published. His love of writing led him to encourage others to "write it down," any time they told a funny or interesting story. He collected old tools and he and Jane enjoyed many road trips exploring antique shops for a special find. He loved going on flying trips and took flying lessons when he lived in Little Rock. To Jane's relief, he never mastered landing, so he did not get his private pilot's license. Some of his outdoor camping trips bring smiles to his kids, especially since they all survived them. Jerry lived life to the fullest, and encouraged others to do the same. He will be missed.

Services will be private.