I never met her, but heard a lot from her son, Tom, my neighbor and friend. All were sweet memories of his childhood with his parents. May she rest in peace in the glory of God.
Gertrude Grushnys
February 26, 2026
Gertrude Grushnys, longtime Wichita resident, passed away on Thursday, February 26, 2026 at age 104.
Memorial Mass will be at 11:30 am, Wednesday, April 8, 2026 at St. Elizabeth Chapel at the Catholic Care Center.
Gertrude was a retired homemaker and widow of Dr. Arnold Grushnys, who served as an anesthesiologist at the Wichita Clinic, having passed away in 2016. Gertrude was born Gertrude Reichard on April 5, 1921 in Bydgoscz, Poland (formerly Bromberg, Germany). Gertrude’s parents, Ernst and Hedwig Reichard, soon re-located to the town of Angermuende, Germany, where Gertrude and her younger sister Margot grew up in the 1920s and 1930s.
Her parents were small shopkeepers, engaged in the sales and service of bicycles, motorcycles, and sewing machines. In early 1945, Gertrude and Margot left their home, fleeing westward to avoid the Soviet army advancing from the east. They found refuge in Luebeck, an ancient city on the Baltic coast, which was in the British zone of occupation. It was there that Gertrude met Arnold, a medical student and refugee from Lithuania, who became her future husband and the love of her life. Arnold emigrated to the USA in 1949, settling in New York City. Gertrude followed in 1951 and they were married in November 1952. They welcomed their son Thomas in 1953.
Gertrude and Arnold held several jobs in New York in the early 1950s. Arnold returned to Germany in 1956, where he began medical school at the University of Hamburg, graduating as an M.D. in 1959. At that time Gertrude was working as a bilingual secretary at a large engineering firm, working to support Arnold and their son Tom. When Arnold returned to the United States, he soon began training as a medical intern at Mercy Hospital in Des Moines, IA, followed by residency in anesthesiology at St. Francis Hospital, Wichita, in 1961. The family moved to Larned, KS, where Arnold worked as a staff physician. They returned to Wichita in 1970, where Arnold was associated with the Wichita Clinic until he retired in 1987.
Gertrude enjoyed life as a mother and a homemaker. She and Arnold traveled frequently to see their son Tom in Florida and Gertrude’s mother and sister in Germany. Arnold and Gertrude moved to Via Christi Village at Georgetown in 2010, where they lived until Arnold’s passing in 2016. Gertrude moved to Catholic Care Center in Bel Aire in January 2017, after a hip replacement which left her with decreased mobility as she was no longer able to walk on her own. Gertrude continued living at Catholic Care Center until her passing, where she received excellent care and much kindness from the nursing and religious staff.
Services in care of Downing & Lahey Mortuary – East Chapel.
Services
Funeral Mass: Wednesday, April 8, 2026 11:30 am
St. Elizabeth Chapel at Catholic Care Center
6700 E. 45th St. N.
Bel Aire, KS 67226
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2026-04-08 11:30:00
2026-04-08 11:30:00
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Funeral Mass
6700 E. 45th St. N.,Bel Aire, KS 67226
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