Grooms, Ruth L. 1916-1974

GROOMS, PORTER, JOHNSON, HULL, EWART

Posted By: Marilyn Holmes (email)
Date: 3/3/2010 at 10:10:35

The Grinnell Herald-Register (Grinnell, Iowa) March 1974

RUTH GROOMS, FORMER CLERK, RITES TODAY

Ruth L. Grooms, 57, former Grinnell city clerk, died Tuesday morning (Mar. 19) at Grinnell General Hospital, where she had been a patient since October, 1973.

The daughter of Fred and Mary Porter Johnson, she was born Oct. 26, 1916 in Denver, Colo. She attended public schools in Grinnell and was graduated from Grinnell High School with the class of 1934. She attended Grinnell College for one year. She was employed at Bankers Life Insurance Co. in Des Moines from 1935 to 1937.

On June 20, 1937, she was married to Warren Lee Grooms in Grinnell. The couple had one daughter, Mrs. Dennis (Mary Lee) Hull of Newton.

Mrs. Grooms was employed in the Poweshiek County Welfare Office from 1939 until 1942, at which time she moved to Long Beach, Calif., where she was employed in the office of Douglas Aircraft. In 1953, she returned to Grinnell where she was employed by Denniston and Partridge Lumber Co. She began work at the Grinnell City Office in 1966, and was appointed to the position of city clerk in January, 1970. She served as clerk until her illness in July, 1973.

Mrs. Grooms was a member of the Grinnell United Methodist Church, the Soroptimist Club, the American Legion Auxiliary, and a bowling team.

She is survived by her mother, Mrs. Mary Ewart of Grinnell, and her daughter, Mrs. Dennis Hull of Newton.

Funeral services for Mrs. Grooms were held at 2 p.m. today (Thursday) at the Smith Funeral Home, with the Rev. John McCallum officiating. Pallbearers were Tom Clark, Marion Onthank, George Hargrave, Webb Wallace, Dale Snook and John Hotchkin. Honorary pallbearers were Paul K. Jantzen, Clark Wilson, Floyd Beaver, Dick Clark, Laverne Reavis, Jack Crowell, Virgil Jones and Robert Rowe.

Burial was in Hazelwood Cemetery.

CORRECTION

In the obituary of Ruth Grooms Mar. 21, The Herald Register incorrectly reported tht Mrs. Grooms returned to Grinnell in 1953 from Long Beach, Calif. Mrs. Grooms actually returned to Grinnell in the mid-1940s.

The Herald-Register also failed to mention that Mrs. Grooms was preceded in death by her husband, Warren Lee Grooms.

Mrs. Grooms, former city clerk, died Mar. 19 at the age of 57. Funeral services were held Thursday at the Smith Funeral Home.