For the Miami Valley Today

DAYTON — As sure as the sun, the rain, and the cycle of seasons in the Miami Valley, you can count on the Grusenmeyer family to give blood.

The multi-generation farm family from Tipp City is very much a Community Blood Center family. Stephen Grusenmeyer is one of the family members who regularly donates platelets and plasma. On Aug. 31, he marked his milestone 200th donation.

As noted over the years at CBC, “Grusenmeyer” could easily be listed as “blood donor” in the Tipp City phone book. Mark, Kathleen, Andrew, Anthony, Jean, Jennifer, and Steve’s son James are just a few of the family donors.

“My two brothers donate, my wife, my son,” said Steve Grusenmeyer. “My wife Jennifer donates whole blood. When they dropped the age to donate to 16, my son James turned 16 and he started. Then he asked about donating platelets and plasma, he gave both, and he got me started on it.”

With 67 lifetime donations, James is still trying to catch up to his dad.

“I started about 40 years ago at Sacred Heart Church,” said Grusenmeyer. “My mom donated, and I would go with her.”

Since becoming a platelet and plasma donor with James in 2009, Grusenmeyer has tried to donate once a month, no easy task for anyone who makes a living off the land.

“I’m a farmer,” he said. “In a month or two, I won’t be able to get in for a while because of the harvest and as long as the weather is good. You keep working at it. This morning it was raining, (so) I came over here.”

In other words, it was perfect weather for a milestone blood donation.

“It’s an accomplishment,” said Grusenmeyer. “I hoped to get 200 this time last year, but because of COVID, it was hard to get in. My next goal is 300!”