George Raymond Groom

George Raymond Groom died peacefully on Thursday, September 3, 2015 at his home in the Methodist Manor in Florence. He was born 100 years ago in Derbyshire, England, a son of the late Wilburn and Mabel Green Groom. He was a member of the Bomber Command during WWII, and after the war made his career with the RAF. After his retirement, he immigrated to South Carolina in 1970, and worked for 16 years as Production Control Manager for Marlowe Manufacturing, retiring in 1986. He was a past president and area governor of Toastmasters, a member of the Knights of Columbus, & St. Anne’s Catholic Church where he was a Lector and Eucharist Minister. Survivors include a son, John (Heather) Groom of Wellington, New Zealand; three daughters, Elizabeth G. Stevens, Janet (Jimmy) DuBose, & Sally (Charles) Courtney, Jr., all of Florence; four stepsons, David Weddington of Oak Hall, VA, Tony Weddington of Mauldin, SC, Harry Weddington of Omaha, NE, and Michael Weddington of Myrtle Beach, SC; 8 grandchildren, Ray, Michael, and Tanya Stevens, Blue Turner-Smith, Capt. Charles E. Courtney, III, USAF, Lisa Dellow, and Andrew & Dominic Groom; 10 great grandchildren; & 3 great-great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his first wife of 53 years, Dorothy Groom, who was the mother of his children, and later by a second wife, Wilda Weddington Groom. A funeral service will be held at 3:30 PM Sunday, September 6 at Stoudenmire-Dowling Funeral Home. Burial will follow in Florence Memorial Gardens. The family will receive friends from 2:30 – 3:30 at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Resident Benevolence Fund of the Methodist Manor, 2100 Twin Church Rd., Florence, SC 29501, St. Anne Catholic Church, 113 S. Kemp St., Florence, SC 29506, or to McLeod Hospice, PO Box 100551, Florence, SC 29502. Send messages to the family at www.stoudenmiredowling.com.