Grant W. Blum

Grant W. Blum, 88, of La Crosse, peacefully joined his beloved wife, Doris Blum, in life everlasting on Monday, the 2 ^nd of March, 2020, when he lost his battle to a systemic bacterial infection while at Mayo Hospital in La Crosse. Grant was born on September 16, 1931, in Madison, Wis., and was the only child born to Dr. Otto and Elsie Blum. Grant grew up primarily in Florida and Wisconsin and Graduated from Waverly High School in 1950. He graduated from the University of Miami, Fla. School of Journalism. He worked as a journalist with the Tampa Times, and a few other papers in Florida before returning to Wisconsin and started a job with the La Crosse Tribune in 1967.

Grant is well known in the La Crosse community for his role as an investigative news reporter for the La Crosse Tribune for 28 years of service and retired in 1995. Grant was considered a reporter’s reporter as he vigorously strove to uncover the truth and occasionally uncovered injustices. He lived to tell the story as it really was and he could have been considered La Crosse’s Woodward and Bernstein.

Another love of his life was his wife Doris. They were married July 5 ^th , 1970 in New Glarus, Wis. Both Grant and Doris enjoyed traveling together, eating out, shopping, caring for their dogs and most of all tending to their beautiful garden. There is no doubt that the relationship between Doris and Grant was one to be admired as they rarely spent a day apart during their 45-year marriage. After Doris had a stroke and resided at Hillview Nursing Home Grant became well known at Hillview for being a devoted husband as he visited his wife Doris on a daily basis for the five years she resided there up until her death. Grant even sold their home and moved to a condo near Hillview so that he could be closer to Doris.

Over the last few years of his life, Grant had a decline in health and needed care at Hillview Nursing home. Despite having had significant health issues rendering him unable to walk and at times being bed bound, Grant rarely complained and seemed to have a pleasant and hopeful attitude with those he interacted with and was always willing to talk about politics, or tell an old story about his reporter days. Grant was well liked by staff, residents and neighbors and had made many friends while at Hillview and in his neighborhood. Grant will be greatly missed by his friends and family of cousins and nieces and nephews in Louisiana and Wisconsin.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, March 14 ^th , at Schumacher-Kish Funeral and Cremation Services, 200 West Ave. So., La Crosse, with visitation beginning at 9:00 a.m. Pastor Daniel Habegger will officiate. Burial will take place in Highland Cemetery in Monticello, Wis., at a later date. Memorials may be directed to the Coulee Region Humane Society in Grant’s memory.