The Brief
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Kevin Grass was biking along Drew Street in Clearwater when police said he was hit and killed by a truck.
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He was renowned artist who taught art at St. Petersburg College.
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A celebration of life for Grass will be held February 15 at 2 p.m. at the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art on St. Petersburg College’s campus.
CLEARWATER, Fla. – A family in Tarpon Springs is devastated after a man was hit and killed while riding his bike.
Clearwater police said Kevin Grass was riding his bicycle on Drew Street on Wednesday when a truck was coming from the other direction. Police said the truck was trying to turn left onto Main Avenue and hit Grass.
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They said he was taken to Morton Plant Hospital, where he later died.
Who was Kevin Grass?
Big picture view
Grass was a renowned artist who also taught art at St. Petersburg College in Pinellas County. His wife, Michaela Oberlaender, said he was a perfectionist and was driven to be an artist.
Pictured: Kevin Grass’ artwork hanging in he and his wife’s home.
“All he ever wanted to do was paint,” she said.
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The couple’s home is filled with paintings that he spent years working on.
“I called Kevin my Superman because everything he did, he was really good at it,” Oberlaender said. “And, a lot of it was because he was so dedicated and persistent.”
The couple had been married for more than 31 years. Oberlaender said they met in an art class in graduate school at the University of Georgia.
Pictured: A photo of Kevin Grass and his wife, Michaela Oberlaender.
“We walked out of an exam in northern Renaissance art on the day of his 24th birthday and talked about the exam and how important that class was,” she said. “And, that class, one of the main paintings in it was actually his inspiration for our wedding invitation.”
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The couple shares an adult son, who Oberlaender said Grass was very close with.
Oberlaender also teaches art at St. Petersburg College, and said Grass would ride his bike to work on the days they both taught classes.
“I would drive our minivan down and after we were done, we put the bike in the van and drive home together,” she said. “And, that was what we were planning on doing last Wednesday.”
On Friday, Oberlaender said she was still in shock and processing what happened.
“He didn’t do anything wrong,” she said. “But, unfortunately, a person who wasn’t trying to do anything wrong either didn’t see him, because a truck was in the way.”
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Grass’ memory is carved into each work of art hanging on the walls of their Tarpon Springs home.
“I hope that people will remember his artwork, because that was his passion,” Oberlaender said.
Oberlaender said her husband traveled to international art shows and received praise for his work from celebrities and musicians. Grass’ latest painting now sits in his studio unfinished.
“He was a most marvelous person,” she said. “He was kind. He was generous. He was such a good friend. He was really funny.”
His wife said he was known, not only for his artistic talent, but for the care he showed his students and his family.
“He made people smile, because he cared about them,” Oberlaender said.
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What’s next
Clearwater police are still investigating the crash.
Oberlaender says they’re holding a celebration of life for Grass on February 15 at 2 p.m. at the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art on the St. Petersburg College campus in Tarpon Springs.
The Source
The information in this story was gathered through interviews with Kevin Grass’ wife, Michaela Oberlaender, as well as from previous information from the Clearwater Police Department on the crash.
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