Raymond R. Grove

Raymond R. Grove “Ray”, age 95, of Chambersburg, passed away Thursday November 5, 2020 at Paramount Nursing Home. He was born August 28, 1925 in Wilkinsburg, PA, as the son of the late Edward and Gladys (Wible) Grove. After graduating from Hustontown High School in 1943, he received an invitation to attend a Brooklyn Dodgers tryout camp but poor timing and gunfire in WWII altered those dreams. He landed on Omaha Beach in late June and was wounded in combat in the Hedgerows of France in late July, 1944. After recovering in a hospital in England, he was thrust back into action with an artillery unit in the winter of 1945. To his delight, he was rotated stateside to rehabilitate in a VA hospital in Daytona Beach. He returned to Fulton County after the war and eventually to Chambersburg with a long career at Letterkenny Army Depot where he retired in 1992. Ray was a kind, gentle man who enjoyed a simple life with a strong love of family, big band music, a card or pool game, a horse race, or a baseball game. He had a special fondness for the Brooklyn/L.A. Dodgers. He also loved his many dogs that he had throughout his life, with two of the extra special ones being Travis and Bailey. He was especially proud of his two granddaughters and recently became a great-grandfather to Vivi. He would have loved meeting her. We were always proud of him and loved his many stories. Although he experienced a lot of bad from the war, we were always impressed by the good he exhibited and lived by. We will miss him, but we are grateful that we had the opportunity to know and to love him, and we congratulate him for a life well-lived. Ray is survived by his son, Neal (Kristine) Grove of Chambersburg; his two grandchildren, Kaita (Mark) Perez of Hagerstown, MD, and Karli Grove of Chambersburg; one great-grandchild, “Vivi”, and his three brothers, Dean Grove of Colorado, Harry Grove of Chambersburg, and Paul Grove of Hustontown, PA. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife Shirley; two sisters, Geraldine Emerick and Delores Grove, and brother, Wayne Grove. Professional Services are entrusted to Dugan Funeral Home and Crematory, Inc., Shippensburg. Memorial services will be held from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM on Saturday, July 10 at Dugan Funeral Home and Crematory, 51 Asper Dr., Shippensburg.