Marilyn’s Obituary Marilyn Joyce Groves (85), daughter, sister, wife, mother, friend and longtime resident of Florida was welcomed to Heaven on Sunday evening, March 3, 2019, at Solaris Healthcare in Stuart, FL. Marilyn was born on January 7, 1934, in Redwood Falls, MN to Rev. James and Queen (LaBanta) Rutgers.
Marilyn grew up in Minnesota and attended Annandale High School. She attended Vennard College in Iowa where she studied the Bible. From 1963-1965, she served as matron in the girl’s dormitory at Bethany Children’s Home in Campton, KY.
It was during her service at this orphanage that she met and fell in love with Harold Groves of Reynoldsville, PA, who was serving at Bethany in a short-term mission capacity. Marilyn married Harold Groves on August 28, 1965 in Paynesville, Minnesota after which they moved to Reynoldsville, Pennsylvania to Harold’s dairy farm. They were blessed with two sons, James (1967) and Daniel (1969).
After selling the farm in 1972, the Groves family moved to Florida – first in St. Petersburg, and then to Hobe Sound, before settling in Stuart in 1979. In the late 1980’s, the family visited the Stuart Alliance Church and discovered the pastor, James Brocious, had worked on Harold’s Pennsylvania farm as a teenager decades prior. This became their church home, and Harold and Marilyn remained active and engaged there until each of them joined Jesus and each other in Heaven.
After Harold died in 1993, the Stuart Alliance Church was an essential of Marilyn’s friendships, community and spiritual strength. Marilyn had a special love for basketball. Growing up, we remember how she would listen to the Martin County High School games on the radio; and later became a fan of the University of Kentucky Wildcats.
Marilyn also enjoyed reading, bowling, word search puzzles, singing and bingo. In fact, it was while she was bowling (at 83 years old) that she fell and broke her hip. Rehab challenges led to a longer than planned stay at Solaris, and she constantly looked forward to returning to her home.
She loved sending greeting cards to family and friends, and anyone within her orbit was guaranteed to have their birthday or anniversary, or any other holiday or special date remembered. Regardless of all her passions, above all else Marilyn enjoyed reading her Bible and spending personal time with God. She was in God’s Word every single day.
It was her constant of peace, comfort, stability and hope. Marilyn prayed consistently for her family, friends and church. During her time at Solaris, nurses and staff would come into her room in the mornings, see her in a time of devotions, and ask her to pray for them.
They said she always happily responded that she would do that. Marilyn became well-loved at Solaris. It was impossible not to like her.
Marilyn was always smiling, rarely downcast, never complaining and never critical of others. This was a hallmark of Marilyn throughout her life, not just the final years. The evidence of Jesus’ love was always on her countenance, and that attracted everyone nearby to her.
In the fall of 2018, Marilyn began to have health issues that continued to decline. On February 14, 2019 she shared a dream with us that gave us the assurance that she was at peace and the comfort that our mother was being held in the arms of Jesus. We miss you, Mom, but we are happy you are reunited with Dad and celebrating with Jesus.
—————————————— Visitation: Family and friends may gather for visitation on Friday, March 8, 2019 at Stuart Alliance Church located at 445 SE Osceola Street, Stuart, FL 34994 from 11:00am until the time of the funeral. Funeral: Following the visitation, funeral services will be held at the Stuart Alliance Church at 1:00pm. Committal: Immediately following the funeral service, burial will be at the graveside at Forest Hills Memorial Park in Palm City, FL.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be sent to the Stuart Alliance Church.
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