Louis Groce
Louis Milton Groce, 97, of Chenoa passed away at 11:26 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 26, 2018 at his residence in Chenoa.
A Funeral Mass will be he held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2018 at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Chenoa with Father Carl LoPresti officiating. Burial will follow in Chenoa Twp. Cemetery, Chenoa.
Visitation will be 9:30-11 a.m., prior to his funeral mass also at the church on Wednesday. Duffy-Pils Memorial Home is in charge of arrangements. In lieu of flower, memorial contributions may be directed to St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Chenoa.
Louis was born July 13, 1920 in Cloquet, Minn.; son to Russell and Margaret (Williams) Grose. He married Esther Elaine Hansen on Oct. 22, 1956 in Winchester, Ill..
He is survived by his children: Cynthia (Robert) Fritz of Davie, Fla.; and Daniel (Ellen) Groce of Chenoa; five grandchildren, Nathaniel and Alexandra Fritz, Louis Groce, Molly (Adam) Teman, and Sammi Groce.
He was preceded in death by his parents and four brothers, Russell Groce, Daniel King, Edward King and Clint King.
As superintendent of Chenoa Stone Quarry for several decades, he managed the mining of high grade limestone, and was especially proud of the quarry’s safety record.
Being a former pilot Louie continued his interest in the history, as well as recent developments in aviation. He followed sports where he was a fan of the Green Bay Packers and the St. Louis Cardinals. His love of sports extended to all types of auto racing, particularly NASCAR, but his passion was hunting deer and ducks as a member of the Log Slough Club.
Louie taught himself to speak and write fluent German. He listened to German music and would pepper his conversation with his adopted language. His faith gave him comfort, and his family and friends gave him joy and an opportunity for more tales to be told.
This obituary may be viewed and condolences sent to the family at www.duffypilsmemorialhome.com.
