William A. “Bill” Groff, Sr.
Bill Groff, 84, of Orange, passed away after a brief illness with brain cancer on Monday, March 10, 2014, at Baptist Hospital in Beaumont, Texas.
Visitation will begin at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, March 15, 2014 at Claybar Funeral Home; followed by a memorial service at 11:00 a.m., and officiated by Reverend David Turner of Little Cypress Baptist Church.
Born in Farmersville, Louisiana, on November 11, 1929, Bill was the son of William Erwin and Virginia (Wesley) Groff. He was a retiree of Unocal in Nederland TX, and lived in Southeast Texas most of his life. He served in the Army, graduated from Lamar University in Beaumont, and worked his way up to Manager of Engineering and Maintenance at Unocal (formerly the Pure Oil Company). After his retirement, Bill served two years with the Peace Corp in Benin, West Africa, on building and construction projects. When not traveling the world, he found great enjoyment as a substitute teacher with the local school districts.
He was preceded in death by his parents; first wife Dorothy Brady Groff, and his brothers and sisters Malcom, Lorraine, and Helen.
Bill is survived by his wife, Carolyn; brother, Gene and wife Nelda Groff; son and daughter-in-law, Bart and Kaye Groff, and stepchildren, Karen and Andy Stanfield, Chuck and Lani White, and Alison and Doug Kymer. He was “Paw-Paw Bill” to six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
For those who wish, memorials may be directed to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 22718
Oklahoma City, OK 73123-1718, or St Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place
Memphis, TN 38105.