By Ellen Braunstein
Helen Etta Goldberg Grosky and Bernard Warren Grosky, a couple whose lives were centered on family, community and one another, died recently just four days apart. Bernard died on Aug. 8 at 96, followed by Helen on Aug. 12 at 94.
Married for 66 years, the Groskys were remembered by family and friends as a partnership of humor, strength and unwavering devotion. “They were soulmates,” said their niece, Eileen Ewing. “Everyone knew how much they loved each other. We weren’t surprised they went so close together. That’s just who they were.”
Born on March 8, 1929, Bernard grew up in Philadelphia and graduated from Olney High School in 1946. Helen was born in New York on June 30, 1931, and moved to Philadelphia as a girl. They met in the late 1950s on a blind date that quickly sealed their future together. They married in 1959 and set about raising three children — Jeffrey (now deceased), Amy and Diane — in a home filled with Jewish tradition, warmth and love.
Their daughter Diane Grosky recalled how her father expressed his devotion in playful ways. “My dad once painted a giant heart on our garage door with ‘BG + HG’ in the middle as his way of apologizing,” she said. “That was him — expressive, funny and completely dedicated to my mom.”
The Grosky household became a center for holiday gatherings and celebrations. Helen was known for her brisket and elaborate meals, while Bernie, with his sharp wit, entertained guests as a sociable host. Neighbor Rhonda Hoffman, who lived next door for more than five decades, recalled being included in many milestones. “When Diane had her bat mitzvah, the reception was at their home. Later, when she graduated high school, they hosted a pool party. They loved bringing people together.”
Bernard made his mark as a pharmacist, unpatented inventor and entrepreneur. He started three pharmacies, including Case Center Pharmacy in the Krewstown Shopping Center, with partner Jerry Weiner. More than a pharmacy, it became a neighborhood landmark. The store carried everything from prescriptions to toys, fine jewelry and high-end cosmetics. “It wasn’t just a pharmacy,” said daughter Amy Bergman. “It was Walmart before Walmart.”
Cousin Lee Rosenberg remembered the pharmacy as a magical place in childhood. “Every year before school, we’d go to Uncle Bernie’s store to get supplies,” he said. “I felt like a kid in a candy store.” Bernard sold the business to Rite Aid in 1982 but remained on staff for a period afterward.
His partner Jerry Weiner said Bernard’s business success was rooted in his character. “He treated every customer with respect, whether they were filling a prescription or buying a pack of gum,” said Weiner, who added that employees loved him. “Customers came back because they trusted him.”
Helen charted her own path later in life. In her mid-forties, she returned to school, earning her bachelor’s degree at Temple University and a master’s in social work at Bryn Mawr College. She became an oncology social worker at Pennsylvania Hospital, where she created cancer support groups and developed programs to help patients and families navigate the emotional toll of illness. She counseled until age 80 and won multiple awards and recognitions. “She worked with people who had cancer and helped them express what they were going through,” Diane Grosky said. “She loved her work, and she was a pioneer in building those kinds of programs.”
Bergman said her mother’s strength was evident not just in her career but in daily life. “She showed us how to stand up for what we believed in and to treat people with kindness, no matter their background.”
The Groskys were deeply committed to Jewish life. For many years, they belonged to Temple Beth Torah in Northeast Philadelphia, later joining Temple Beth Am in Abington.
They participated in sisterhood and brotherhood activities and, more recently, in the synagogue’s inclusion committee.
Their love of family extended to their grandchildren, whom they doted on with patience and pride. Diane Grosky said her parents’ generosity shaped everything about their home. “They instilled in us a strong sense of who we were as Jews,” she said.
Bergman remembered her father’s insistence that his children be resourceful and independent. “He believed if something was broken, it was worth trying to fix — and that you couldn’t break it worse,” she said. “That lesson stayed with all of us.”
That same resilience defined their relationship with each other, said Rosenberg. “They communicated, they cared, and they stuck it out. That was their secret.”
Their children remember a home alive with laughter, food, learning and strength. “I could not have asked for better parents,” Bergman said. “They showed us every day what it means to live with compassion.”
Weiner, who stood beside Bernard in business and in friendship, said the couple’s story was one of constancy. “They were inseparable,” he said. “You couldn’t think of one without the other.”
Ellen Braunstein is a freelance writer.
I thought it was ‘K’, Krewstown Pharmacy first?