Obituary of Harry Roger Groves

Harry Roger Groves, 89, of State College, died Monday, February 24, 2020, at Juniper Village at Brookline. Born April 24, 1930, in Trenton, NJ, he was the son of the late Harry Roger Groves Jr. and Emma M. Scheidell Groves-Brown. He is survived by five children; Marianne Wilkes and her husband, Gary, of Abernathy, TX, Roger Groves and his wife, Frances, of Tyrone, NM, Terri Groves and her husband, Marc, Kelly Duarte and her husband, Eduardo, of Portland, ME, and Matthew Groves of State College; three grandchildren, and two brothers, Chas Groves and his wife, Patty, and Bill Groves. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a daughter Melissa Groves. Harry served as a 1st Lieutenant in the United States Army and attended Temple University where he obtained a Bachelor's in Education. He then attended William and Mary College to obtain his Master's degree. Harry was a track and cross country coach for 53 years, working at Penn State University as the Head Coach for 38 years, The College of William and Mary as the Head Coach for 12 years and Assistant Coach for 1 year, and Ft. Eustis, VA as the Head Coach for 1 year. He won numerous awards and accolades as a coach and was selected as Head or Assistant coach for many National and International events, including the 1992 Olympic Games. In addition to his love of track and field, he enjoyed being outdoors, running and walking, fishing and chatting with friends and strangers wherever he went. Memorial services will be announced at a later date. If you would like to make a gift in honor of Harry Groves, please do so by visiting the website: raise.psu.edu/HarryGroves If you would like to pay by check, please do so by sending to: Penn State Varsity S Track Facility Enhancement Fund/ Harry Groves 147 Bryce Jordan Center University Park, PA 16802 Make check payable to: Penn State Memo line: TFE-Harry Groves Arrangements are under the care of Koch Funeral Home, State College. Online condolences and signing of the guest book may be entered at www.kochfuneralhome.com or visit us on Facebook.