GROFF, Donald L.

GROFF, ROBINSON, LANE, SMITH, LATHROP, MAAS, OETTER, SCHWARZ

Posted By: Lynette Edsall (email)
Date: 5/6/2008 at 11:40:37

Donald L. Groff, 84, of Cherokee, Iowa passed away Sunday, May 4, 2008 at the Cherokee Regional Medical Center following a one year battle with cancer.

Funeral services will be held on Thursday, May 8th, at 2 p.m. at the Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Cherokee. Pastor Jim Steen and Pastor Delmar Carlson will officiate. Burial will be at the Pleasant Hill Cemetery at Aurelia, Iowa. There will be a family prayer service at 1:45 p.m. at the church on Thursday. Visitation will be on Wednesday from 10 a.m. until 9 p.m. with the family present from 6:30 p.m. until 8 p.m. at the Boothby Funeral Home in Cherokee. On line condolences may be sent to www.boothbyfuneral.com

Donald was born August 12, 1923 at Cherokee, Iowa to Jake and Syd (Robinson) Groff. He graduated from Wilson High School in 1941. After graduation, he was employed by the Illinois Central Railroad as a fireman and later as an engineer for the next 40 years, retiring on August 13, 1993. He was a member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. He was married to Joyce Lane of Newell, Iowa on January 6, 1947 at Fort Dodge, Iowa. They lived in Fort Dodge until 1951, when they moved to Cherokee. He had been a member of the St. Paul’s United Methodist Church where he had served on the church board. Later he joined the Bethlehem Lutheran Church. He had served on the Cherokee Parks and Recreation Board for several years and was also a volunteer driver for cancer patients. Don loved dancing, especially the polka, enjoyed fishing and camping. Spending time with his grandchildren and great grandchildren was among his favorite pastimes. He loved his little dogs.

He was preceded in death by his parents, a brother Harry Groff and sisters Ernestine Smith and Phyllis Lathrop.

He is survived by his wife, Joyce of Cherokee; a daughter Barbara Maas and her husband Bill of Spirit Lake, Iowa; a son Don Groff and his wife Rheta of Woodbine, Iowa; three grandchildren: Shane Maas and his wife Brenda of Clive, Iowa; Kerrie Oetter and her husband John of Omaha, Nebraska; Kristie Schwarz and her husband Eric of Waseca, Minnesota; 6 great grandchildren.