Ralph Bernard Groome

We are heartbroken to announce the death of our wonderful family member and a beautiful person, Ralph Bernard “Bernie” Groome, 74, of Summerfield, FL. He passed away on November 13, 2023, due to heart complications. Bernie was born in Richmond, VA to Herman and Gladys Groome. He grew up with his younger brother, Larry, in the small town of Matoaca, Virgina (a town where everyone knew everyone). As a teen with a bicycle, he displayed a great work ethic, starting off with delivering newspapers followed by delivering Western Union telegrams for the Petersburg, VA office. He enjoyed swimming, watching baseball, and playing tennis with friends—and he discovered that he loved woodworking in the basement with his dad—something they were great at and for which they both shared a passion. Faith was always a big part of his life; he loved to read the bible, pray, and have gratitude for each day as a true gift. He attended the Virginia Military Institute and was an outstanding student and a great friend to many. He graduated as a Second Lieutenant, but his interest in aeronautics sparked his passion for the field of Materials Engineering, and he went on to get his master’s degree from the University of Virginia. He then went to Augusta Law School where he received his law degree. Bernie was a retired Navy Commander Reserve (Commander/Engineering Duty 1445), uniquely serving in both the US Army and US Navy Reserve for a total of 28 years. His duties included ship repair, weapons station management, ship system engineering and various assignments in Combat Engineer Units. You couldn’t miss him walking around town in his favorite ‘Retired Navy’ hats. He worked at Dupont and Teledyne Brown Engineering, and supported projects at NASA over the years. During his career, Bernie was a Project Support Manager for the Space Exploration Programs and NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Materials Science Directorate, Project Manager for the Environmental Systems Division, and had various other lead roles in the space engineering programs. When he was 32, he met the love of his life, Wanda, at Sunday School at their local church. He worked up the courage to ask her to go to lunch with him on a date at Pizza Inn on September 24th in Johnson City, Tennessee and they both realized on that date that they were a perfect match. They got married in Johnson City at the Church Chapel. Everyone couldn’t help but notice how happy they were together, how much they respected each other, and how much they loved each other. They celebrated their 40th anniversary as a married couple the day before he passed away. Bernie and Wanda were proud to start a family. They have one daughter, Gina Groome. As a family, they loved traveling in their silver van around the USA to see the sights, going to baseball games, making memories with family, attending church, and laughing together. Bernie accomplished many things—but among the biggest impacts he made were the way he wholeheartedly loved his family and being a father. He even used his impressive woodworking skills to build an amazing treehouse in the back yard for Gina and later an impressive entertainment center that Gina continues to cherish. After he retired, he and Wanda settled in Summerfield, FL where they enjoyed the sunshine and a community full of great friends. Bernie became extremely involved in the Spruce Creek community and served as Boomer President for 5 years. He also held various positions, including head trustee on the Board of Trustees for 2 years at CUMC. His favorite Tuesday morning ritual was cooking and gathering for his Men’s Prayer Breakfast group. He was also a guardian for the Florida Honor Flight program, where he escorted a World War II Veteran to Washington D.C. Most recently, Bernie enjoyed going to social gatherings with friends, photography (he won several awards), traveling, playing softball, attending church, watching college football, and sharing jokes and funny stories (he had the best belly laugh). He was an amazing giver of advice, BBQ grill master on his ‘Big Green Egg’ grill, and had blue eyes like the ocean. In addition to Wanda and Gina, he is survived by his brother, Larry Groome, and his grandson ‘Jax’ Wells (for whom he will always be remembered as “Pop Pop”). Bernie’s funeral service will be held at Beyer’s Funeral Home (134 N. Hwy 27/441, Lady Lake, FL 32159) with visitation on December 1, 2023 at 12:00 PM, followed by a funeral procession at 12:45 PM that will take attendees to Florida National Cemetery for a short military interment service at 2:30 PM. A ‘celebration of life’ gathering will be held on January 24, 2023 at Spruce Creek Community Center at 1:30pm. This location will accommodate a large crowd and we will have opportunities to share memories, laugh, and reminisce about Bernie. In lieu of flowers, please send memorial donations to the Wounded Warrior Project or to his church ‘home,’ First Baptist Church at The Villages (16523 SE 76th Chatham Ave, The Villages, FL 32162).

Ralph Bernard Groome

June 14, 1949 - November 13, 2023