Polio no match for passionate volunteer
Tom Grant was a three-sport athlete in high school, but contracted polio before the first football game of his senior year.
Being dealt such a blow would devastate the average man, but Grant's wife of 27 years, Marie, thinks it turned him into the passionate volunteer and fundraiser that will be missed by many around the area and world.
Grant, 84, of Zelienople, died Tuesday at Butler Memorial Hospital after a life spent chasing his mission to make the Earth a better place through education and service.
Marie talked about her husband's life Thursday as she selected photos for his viewing and put meals in the refrigerator that were prepared and delivered by the couple's many friends.
She said although he lost the use of his left leg at age 17 after the polio diagnosis, he went on to teach world cultures at a high school in Montgomery County, participate in a church mission trip to the Mexican border, volunteer to help Black residents sign up to vote in the 1960s, teach multiple free classes on world religion at the Zelienople Area Public Library, and engage in volunteer projects with the Zelienople Rotary International club that he joined in 2002 after moving to the borough with Marie.
In 2009, Grant had his aorta replaced, which included a stent that was custom-made in Australia.Ignoring Marie's pleas, doctors at the Cleveland Clinic gave him an antibiotic polio survivors should not take and Grant lapsed into a coma for several days.He eventually had to learn to walk again and spent many hours at physical therapy and occupational therapy as a result of the medication's effects.Thinking he didn't have much time left, Marie said he spent hours on the internet during his recovery searching for ways to give back in his remaining days.“And that's how he found ShelterBox,” she said.When he was well enough, Grant asked a ShelterBox representative in Pittsburgh to come to a meeting of the Zelienople Rotary club to describe the organization's mission to provide shelter for those around the globe who are rendered homeless as a result of war or natural disasters.Then Grant volunteered to serve as a ShelterBox ambassador, having seen the strife of homeless families in many of the 50 countries the couple visited during their long marriage.The Grants became tireless advocates for ShelterBox, having given hundreds of presentations on the organization in a plethora of venues.“From the first moment I met Tom Grant, I immediately felt I was in the presence of undeniable greatness,” said Kerri Murray, president of ShelterBox USA. “It was his love for others, his caring and his unwavering belief in service and humanitarian causes.”Grant won a ShelterBox Lifetime Achievement Award for more than 4,000 volunteer hours, the Presidential Volunteer Award in multiple consecutive years, and most recently, the Spirit of ShelterBox Award for raising $200,000 for the organization.“He never did any of this for the recognition,” Marie said. “He just wanted to help others.”
Grant's friends in the Zelienople Rotary club marvel at his focus and tireless forward motion in his charitable pursuits, regardless of his physical limitations or how he was feeling.“The word I keep thinking of is 'tenacious',” said Beth Marshall, a Zelienople Rotary member and governor for Rotary District 7280. “Tom never felt sorry for himself. He never took shortcuts. He was just a very driven and determined person.”Marshall said no one would have faulted Grant for missing a Rotary meeting or event due to his physical condition.“He just didn't do it,” she said.She called Grant a passionate educator who enjoyed his students, both youth and adult.“I will miss having a friend who challenges you to do your very best,” Marshall said.Jeff Simmons of Butler, who also belongs to the Zelienople Rotary, said Grant used pictures he and Marie took on their travels around the world when teaching world religion at the Zelienople library.“He focused on helping people from our area learn more about other people, their cultures and their religious practices,” Simmons said. “He helped people to not be afraid of or opposed to those of other countries.”He said the Grants also hosted Rotary exchange students and adults in their Zelienople home.“Tom and Marie were always very welcoming and they made friends with these people and showed them around our area,” Simmons said.Grant suffered throughout his life from his teenage polio diagnosis and even more as an older adult, which is why he was so passionate about Rotary International's mission to eradicate the muscle-wasting disease from the face of the Earth.“I was moved by Tom's work to promote an end to polio,” Simmons said.He admired Grant's volunteerism, ease in making friends and raising money for important causes, “and for being a good, caring person and good friend.”“I'll miss his friendly presence while we are doing volunteer work,” Simmons said.Marie Grant said her husband never mentioned his pain or struggles and always had a smile on his face as he carried out his mission to leave the world a better place than he found it.“He was a fighter and always put other people first,” she said. “I know it sounds trite, but he really was my best friend.”
