George David Grove's Obituary
George David Grove
George David Grove, 98, formerly of Berryville, VA, died peacefully on December 17, 2015, in Port Orange, FL. He was born on June 15, 1917, to the late Frank and Annie Grove of Carlisle, PA. He was preceded in death by his sister Winifred Surniak.
George had a lifetime love of fishing and, after fishing on the Shenandoah, it became the only river for him. It was on the river where he met the love of his life, Leora Elizabeth Betty Bell Grove. They married on October 3, 1941, in Berryville and enjoyed 72 years of marriage until her death in 2013. There was a plaque over their front door that said, “Here lives a fisherman with the best catch of his life.”
George attended Millersville State University on a football scholarship and graduated in 1939. He later completed graduate courses in industrial arts education at Virginia Tech. He worked for 35 years as a vocational and industrial arts teacher in Virginia, retiring in 1975. His first teaching job was at Berryville High School, where he was also the football coach and a Boy Scout leader. During World War II he was a member of the Virginia Home Guard. In the summers he worked at Leetown Federal fish hatchery and was always an advocate for keeping the Shenandoah River clean. He taught adult education night classes during all of his years of teaching. After ten years in Clarke County, the family moved to Alexandria. He and Betty returned to Clarke County and the river he loved after retirement.
Surviving to cherish George’s memory are his children David Grove (wife Ginny) of Port Orange, FL, Anne McKenzie of Palm Coast, FL, Margie Sentelle (husband Tommy) of Blacksburg, VA, Charles Grove of Sterling, VA; a nephew Joseph Surniak of Carlisle, PA; three grandchildren Anne Anderson (husband Andy) of Walstonburg, NC, Yancey George Strickler (wife Jamie) of New York, NY, Stephen Sentelle of Blacksburg, VA. A great-grandchild is expected in January 2016.
George was very active in his 40 years of retirement, becoming a tireless public volunteer in crusading for the rights of the elderly. He was the 1988 Clarke County Courier Citizen of the Year, the recipient of one of the first National Community Service Awards from AARP, an elected member of the Virginia Silver Haired Legislature for three terms, recognized as the first recipient of the Aging Network Volunteer award from Shenandoah Area Agency on Aging, a member of the Governor’s Older Virginians Committee, and a representative of the Community Service Council. He was instrumental in fundraising to build a new senior center in Clarke County. George was very well known at the state level, chairing the Virginia Retired Teachers Association insurance committee from 1981 to 2010 and chairing the Northwestern VA Health Services Advisory Council in 1991. In 2004 he was featured in a film about the Shenandoah River called "The Downstream Project" and was selected as a Clarke County Hometown Hero.
In addition to George’s many accomplishments, his Christian faith was important to him. He was a member of Berryville Presbyterian Church where he served in many ways. He and Betty were married there in 1941.
The family would like to thank Halifax Hospice of Port Orange and Coquina Assisted Living for their loving care of George in his final days. Memorial services will be held in the spring 2016 in Virginia and Pennsylvania.
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