I was a member of the writers group where Bob regaled us with his "VISUAL POETRY," a genre I was unfamiliar with. Bob reveled in "explaining" it to us, but I still didn't "get it." But his enthusiasm was infectious we will certainly miss him. Bob was also a tennis player and I had the occasion to meet him on the court occasionally when our respective teams met in the Charlotte County league games. I could dig his tennis a lot better than his poetry.

Bob, you are so missed by your neighbors. I was just knocking on your door, yesterday to check on you and found out about your passing. We are all so shocked as I told my husband recently you would outlive us all. I admired your level of activity as I watched you jog, ride your bike, and head out to play tennis. One of my last comments to you was how inspiring you were. I'm sorry we won't get to fix your garage in trade for your little car. Oh, I'm getting sad now. Just know how much we miss you. I wish we could have had more talks. Rest in peace.

Bob was an original. Everything he did revealed great thought, wit, and compassion for others. HIs poetry is unlike any other and merits long term engagement. His critical writings are full of keen insight and surprising discoveries. From the 1980s forward Bob and I exchanged poetry, ideas and stories. He encouraged so many poets, artists and visionaries that it would be impossible to compile a comprehensive list. There are words in the language that did not exist before Bob made his contribution. He was never anything less than kind to myself and everyone who knew him. He will be painfully missed by all of us for his contribution to the arts and for his friendship.

Bob was a member of the Charlotte County Genealogical Society and printed our newsletter for many years on his own printer. We found that we both descended from William White, passenger on the Mayflower, 1620. He worked with a small committee to proofread a book Stephen Rockstroh was working on with a Mrs. Cushman, who needed a helping hand. Afterward Stephen gave us each a copy of the Doubleday book, as well as a nice dinner at Olive Garden Restaurant. Bob joined my family for a dinner at another restaurant once, and we went to see a movie called something like "The Pelican Papers". When he went for substitue teaching, he rode his bike, even if he was to teach across the bridge in Punta Gorda. I hope his genealogical papers will go to someone in the family who will share with others. If there are some papers left, they could be given to the Mid-County Public Library at Forrest Nelson and Tamiami Trail, as volunteers of the genealogical society would take good care of them. We all were grateful for the fine work he did to help others. A chart of his ancestry is on file in the genealoigal depatment there.

many individuals of the alternative poetry community are in mourning at the sudden and unexpected loss of Bob Grumman, on april 2. my heart remains heavy with a large hole. bob was close friend since the early 1980’s. he developed into a fierce warrior defending and promoting alternative poetics, including visual, minimalist and mathematical. his term to cover it all -- other stream. at the same time, he was a man with a generous and loving heart supportive of the other stream new and older voices in his acute and detailed critical writings. proof of this loss is the huge outpouring seen on facebook, blogs and emails. i will miss our chats and arguments; we were in constant interaction through the years up to his last unexpected days . . .

He was the nicest man, he was always kind and gentlemanlike. He was a creative and intellectual author and everyone who ever was in contact with him became an emotionally and intellectually richer person because of him.

I can't put into words how much I will miss Bob, and I never met him, just conversed over the internet. Bob was an insightful commentator on matters concerning Shakespeare as well as a brilliant artist. His mathemaku are scattered around the internet, such as http://www.madhattersreview.com/issue10/vispo_grumman2.shtml and http://www.spidertangle.net/durban_segnini/grumman3.html. His thoughts on Shakespeare can be found at Hardy Cook's SHAKSPER listerv (www.shaksper.net) as well as at the newsgroup humanities.lit.authors.shakespeare.

Bob was special. One of the best creatures, most innocent souls and sharpest thinkers I've ever known or known about. His unique mathemaku (a selection of which I had the privilege to bring out in Hungarian) will grow in time. He was my first publisher in the US, a very close friend and an invitation into visual poetry. I enjoyed his encouragement and support - as so many of us in the visual poets' community. I'll always miss him. Marton

Bobwit, Will forever remember our ceekrett koadexz dat knowbodiez elzee kould udderstandy and will miss being called a "wack" by you. Your bestest internet luv pal, knit

April 9, 2015 Dear Bob, We began corresponding in early January 1993 and immediately we became friends. You published my first chapbook in 1993 and to this day I am so proud of that little book that you made by hand. Letter writing was so important to you, it was here I think you were most at ease in expressing and articulating your ideas. I have this stack of your correspondence with me here on my desk this morning: I see letters from Feb. 6, 16, 18, 24, 26 all in one week, 1993! And there are postcards: In between letters there are postcards to answer or address a single thought or aside! I am so proud of our correspondence, it is a treasure. I knew from the start, Bob, that you were the real thing, that you were a Poet. And you had a poetry in you that was in search of a form, in search of a form of expression. Some poets are so much of their time, and they have an easy way of it. But then there are those exceptional poets whose lot in life is to discover a new form of expression, like explorers or astronauts. Sometimes we say of these exceptional poets, their readers are not born yet! They make the greatest sacrifice. They pay the highest price. You were never alone, Bob. Your work will live forever. There is an army of us here and we will carry your name forward. And at the risk of embarrassing you: I love you, my friend. I will miss you. Gregory

Bob, you were one of a kind, and you are already missed. Tell Will hello for us.

I had the blessing of Bob's sharp wit, experience with writing, and open spirit to challenge things I asserted as if I knew what I was talking about! Our relationship was pretty much within the fellowship of the Port Charlotte Tuesday Writers Group. His teaching experience was evident in his ability to clarify grammatical issues, word choice, and organization of a piece whether it was a story or essay. We will miss him for those qualities. We will also miss his sharing of his visual poetry. I was also very impressed with the artistry displayed in his finished poems. Even when his "math" format was not always clearly understandable, there was a delightful color and layout to his work. We will miss his occasional rant about those who keep trying to attribute Shakespeare's plays to other people. He always clear thinking and supported his views with good scholarship. He and I in very different ways experienced people who were closed to information that should cause them to reconsider their viewpoint. I loved his term "rigidniks." I never got to see him play tennis, which he was coming from the last time he met with us in March. But he loved it despite various health problems that limited his effectiveness. I'm sure he never embarrassed his tennis team mates. I expect I will think I see him in the bike riders that I pass as I drive around town. I will hear his voice in my ear as I work on my writing. I will feel his gleeful arguing from a more conservative point of view as I try to straighten him out on the inadequacy is those views. I will be always grateful for his support and encouragement in my writing and in my projects. Argue as we might on some things, he was always helping me and the rest of our writers' group to be better. I will miss him.

Please accept our deepest condolences for your family's loss.