February 27, 2014

Funeral for Ed Groover, 85, of Decatur will be Sat., March 1, at 1 p.m. at Peck Funeral Home Chapel with Bro. David Kelley officiating and Peck Funeral Home directing.

Burial will be in Hartselle City Cemetery. Visitation will be Sat., March 1, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the funeral home.

Mr. Groover died Thur., Feb. 27, 2014, at River City Care & Rehab. He was born March 1, 1928, in Morgan County to Roy Shuford Groover and Martha Irene Roden Groover. After graduating from Falkville High School, Mr. Groover was a U.S. Army Paratrooper from 1946-1949. He served in the U.S. Navy, as a deep-sea diver, from 1950-1957 and served in the Reserve from 1957-1959. He was employed by Chemstrand Corporation while attending night school at Athens State. He earned his BS degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa in 1959.

His career took him to Key West Florida, where he worked for the Naval Research Laboratory. There he played an integral role in the development of a marine corrosion test facility until his retirement in 1974. In 1991, he returned to Decatur, to be with family and friends. He was a member of the 16th Avenue Baptist Church. His hobbies included photography, hiking and traveling. He was preceded in death by his parents; his first wife, Dot; and a sister, Martha Jo Parker.

He is survived by his wife, Thena Dean Groover of Decatur; a Brother, Robert D. Groover of Seabrook, Texas; nieces, Cathy Terry and Becky Hogan (Mike) both of Decatur; two step-sons, Bob Sandusky of Birmingham and Bill Briscoe (Sparvin) of Atlanta, Ga.; and a step-daughter, Betty Metcalf (Jack) of Decatur.

Pallbearers will be Carl Smith, Jerry Hopper, Tom Lance, Jimmie Derrick, James McCreless and Bobby Day.