The Lutherville tradesman who lived life at full throttle but always stopped to lend a hand

Phillip Groh once refused to let a wicked storm wreaking havoc on the east coast ruin his vacation.

He told his family he would just drive south until it stopped raining.

After nearly 10 hours of battling through strong winds and drenching rain, Groh was sending photos from Savannah, Georgia. Even when it didn’t seem possible, he got the sunny vacation he wanted.

It’s how he approached everything in life and something his family will always remember about him.

“He’s like a freight train,” said his mother. “He would focus on certain things and just go and get it.”

Groh, who loved anything on wheels and all the adventures that came with them, died July 17 from injuries that he suffered after crashing his motorcycle. He was 22.

He was born Nov. 8, 2003, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to John and Natalia Groh. The family relocated to Maryland shortly after his birth. He was an older brother to four siblings and inspired them all, said his father.

He had so many dreams it was hard to keep up, his father said, but he pursued them all intensely. Over the years, he spent time as a Boy Scout, a member of his local pipefitters’ union, a volunteer at local churches, and a multisport athlete.

Groh graduated from Dulaney High School in 2022, where he joined both the wrestling and track and field teams. He played the trumpet and euphonium in the school’s marching band.

He had quite the sense of humor. He once drove two hours and then hiked 2 miles in the middle of the night to prank a group of friends on a camping trip, his father recalled. He crept up to their tent at 2 a.m. while playing bear noises on a Bluetooth speaker.

But it wasn’t all play and no work for him — for most, it would actually seem like quite the opposite. He didn’t watch TV or play video games; instead, all he wanted was a job. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when schools around the country transitioned to virtual learning, he used his class time to pursue full-time work.

Calling on his childhood passion for mechanics and investigating how things worked, he pursued a career as a steamfitter, HVAC technician, plumber, handyman and mechanic.

The 22-year-old went on to be employed by mechanical contracting company Flo-Tron for five years. He was also a fourth-year student in the Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 486 five-year apprenticeship program.

His general foreman at Flo-Tron, David Williams, remembers him as someone who was “mechanically inclined” and excelled at work.

“He had a smile on his face, no matter how bad the job was,” said Williams, when recalling a time Groh had to deliver equipment to a job site in the middle of the night.

Motorcycles, cars, dirt bikes and trucks also held a special place in his heart. His father estimates that his son purchased and owned about 35 motorized vehicles from the age of 17. Many of them ended up in the Groh family driveway, where he toiled away at whatever needed fixing. He was also always ready to lend a helping hand to a neighbor who was having car trouble, said his father.

When he wasn’t working to replace an industrial cooling system or under the belly of one of his trucks, he made the most of what he could with the people in his life.

That meant finding a different way to bond with each of his siblings. His brother Adam followed in his footsteps and got into mechanics. With his sister Sophia, he shared a devotion to Catholicism. Kareolena was his sports buddy. The youngest Groh sibling, Nastasia, was his princess, his father said.

He was willing to go the distance for his family — he once drove three hours to Delaware on a dual-sport dirt bike to pick up a truck for his younger sister.

“He didn’t waste time,” his father said. “He was always rushing somewhere but still took the time to make your day.”

In the wake of his death, friends and family recently gathered to share just how much he impacted their lives.

One friend recalled a time Groh fixed their vehicle after a car dealership said they’d be better off getting rid of it. Another called on him in the early hours of the morning to get out of a bad housing situation. Dozens shared similar stories.

The common thread: Groh was someone you could count on.

And that, his father said, is how he should be remembered — as someone who always found a way to make things happen, whether it be for his own dreams or someone else’s.

“You feel so helpless when something like this happens,” said his father. “But what’s the opposite of helpless? It’s hopeful, it’s helpful, and that’s Phillip.”

Funeral services are scheduled for 10 a.m. Aug. 8 at St. Joseph’s Parish in Cockeysville.

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