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Montgomery area man’s commitment to community, family unparalleled

By Mark Maroney - Reporter | Jan 10, 2025

hose in the Borough of Montgomery, Clinton Township and Lycoming County won’t soon forget the contributions of Leslie (Les) M. Gruver.

Gruver, who passed away on Nov. 12 at the age of 79, devoted his life to public safety and community service – whether it was issuing alerts for the Lycoming County Emergency Management Agency or Montgomery EMA on impending bad weather and flood alerts or opening the back of the “William Teller,” among the first automatic teller machines at the former Northern Central Bank to retrieve a stuck bank card for a customer, or responding to a structure fire or crash as a member of the Clinton Township Volunteer Fire Co., Gruver was considered by his family and friends to be a true civil servant.

Those who knew him best, including family, said he was more than the man posting on Facebook issuing flash-flood or “sump pump” alerts. He was a loving father, a beloved brother, a dedicated volunteer firefighter and guy who would do all of this with a smile.

A devoted father

“My fondest memories are of him being a fireman,” said his son, Michael Gruver.

He recalled how his dad got up whenever the siren sounded and being among the first firefighters to get to the fire hall.

“Usually, I would watch out the bathroom window and see him driving out to the firehall with the blue light on,” Mike said.

This would happen whether there were family gatherings, during holidays or in the middle of the night.

“He would not think twice about getting the fire truck out to where it needed to go,” Mike said.

In fact, there was one instance where he was working at the bank and there was a brush fire.

He stopped working, got to the fire hall, drove the truck by himself and put out the fire, returned the fire truck and walked back to work, Mike said.

“That is tough to find nowadays,” he said.

It was the same dedication he had to the borough and then county as its Emergency Management Agency director, he said.

A beloved brother

“As a brother, he was a great brother to have,” said Dennis Gruver, who has lived a life linked hand-and-hand with his sibling.

“I miss him, but under the circumstances, he is probably healed now,” Gruver said, with a pause.

“His condition would not improve and this is the best,” he added. “I am happy for him that he did not have to suffer.”

As brothers, the Gruvers are synonymous with emergency management in the borough and Lycoming County.

Dennis began volunteering with the Ground Observer Corps in 1955. He was trained to watch for airplanes and call to report them, and he progressed through the organization, according to a story in the Muncy Luminary.

Les, meanwhile, helped to start the Montgomery Civil Defense in the 1960s with a desire to help people in serious circumstances, including natural and man-made disasters and emergencies.

In 1964, Les was appointed by the governor to the volunteer position of Civil Defense Director for the Montgomery Borough.

It was a brotherly connection that was separated by war.

“I was going to be coordinator for the borough in 1965 and got drafted so I went to Vietnam and he ended up being EMA coordinator until 1969, and I then took over as EMA coordinator,” Dennis told the Sun-Gazette.

Les then became EMA coordinator (director) for Lycoming County, he said.

“He did a super job there,” he said. “Very professional, very well coordinated in good times with some bad situations,” he said.

Among those terrible times for the county were in 1972 with Agnes, in 1996 and a January flood, in 2005 with remnants of Hurricane Katrina, and in 2011 and Hurricane Lee.

During the 1970s, Montgomery Civil Defense transitioned into the EMA and the story of the century brought out his best.

During the 1970s, Montgomery Civil Defense transitioned into the EMA and the story of the century brought out his best. In Agnes, Les stood on the river bridge to monitor the crest at Muncy. On June 22, 1972 water levels reached 37.5 feet, with flood stage at 20 feet. It was higher than the 36.3 inches recorded in 1936.

There was one death reported, that of Albert Schick, who was directing traffic on the corner of Montgomery and Thomas Avenue.

The community was inundated with water, with a need for 200 beds and many homes not having functioning water and power.

A public servant

Gruver coordinated a week-long emergency and recalled the magnitude of the imagery for reporters.

After Agnes, the Montgomery EMA and Gruver used this harrowing experience to provide the community with better emergency preparedness and self-help training, life-saving skills and more equipment, such as two-way radio communications and a special unit vehicle were added as well as pumps, generators and lights.

Today, every municipality in Lycoming County has an appointed emergency management coordinator and a designated plan because of Gruver’s input.

As a life member of the Clinton Township Volunteer Fire Co., his loss caused heavy hearts, according to Chief Todd Winder.

In a written tribute on the township fire company Facebook page, Winder remarked how Les was “a great member who helped guide the company and was instrumental in forming training and safety committees in the 1980s and 1990s.”

As a member of the Montgomery EMA, Les was in the “Ride Command” bus at every 9/11 Ride since it moved to the township station on Route 54.

“He only ever wanted to see to the safety of the participants and assist the fire company with the ride,” Winder stated.

He did all of his public safety commitment with a decent and kind demeanor.

“Les was a man who always had a smile on his face no matter the issue,” said Steve Konkle, a friend, colleague and former fire chief now company treasurer and chaplain with Willing Hand Hose Co.

A man of faith

“I never heard Les say anything bad about others and was a true believer in his faith,” Konkle said.

He was a member of Pine Street United Methodist Church, Williamsport, and was previously a member of St. John Lutheran “Brick” Church, Montgomery

“He was 4 years younger than I,” Dennis said.

“We grew up in Montgomery, attended St. John’s Lutheran Brick Church and took part in many events there,” he said. These included singing in the church.

Such live-long communication – whether it was to a congregation or hobbyists such as those enjoying Ham or amateur radio, was a hallmark of Les’s life.

“Anyone who knows Les had a love for Ham radio,” Konkle remarked.

“When I visited Les in the hospital after he had his back surgery, he had two portable Ham radios sitting at his bedside listening to what and who was talking,” Konkle said.

Gruver, who was emergency management agency director for Lycoming County when Konkle worked in communications, would interact with each other in times of crisis, or in passing each other in their daily operations.

“Outside of work we all know when you talk about Montgomery EMA that the name Gruver would be at the forefront of the deployment of their units – whether it was Les, Dennis or another Gruver who was being molded for the future, Konkle observed.

Gruver had a variety of interests. He was an officer and instructor for the Lycoming County Radiological Response Team and a member of the American Red Cross Disaster Assessment team, another agency that is critical in times such as when a fire destroys a residence and the family needs help.

As an avid train enthusiast, he was a 25-year member of the White Deer and Reading Railroad and the Central Pennsylvania chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, where he also served as secretary.

Leslie was a past member of the West Branch Chorale and the Montgomery Rotary Club. He received the Grit Meritorious Community Service Award, the Commander’s Commendation Award from the Civil Air Patrol, and the Award of Excellence from Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, among others.

He enjoyed watching NASCAR, going on train excursions with his wife, monitoring the weather, and remained an active amateur radio operator.