Lt. Col. retired Thomas H. Grooms' Obituary
Grooms, Thomas H., Lt. Col. USAF, retired, passed away Feb. 25. Born Aug. 29, 1929 in Ronceverte, WV and moved to New Castle, IN in 1945. Graduated from New Castle High School in 1947, 2nd in class of 204. Attended Wabash College and Purdue University 1947-1950. Entered the United States Air Force Jan. 1st, 1951 and graduated Aviation Class Feb. 26, 1951 with 2nd Lt Navigation Wings. Married Jeanne Harvey Feb. 26, 1952 and then moved on to attend B-24 training at Randolph AFB Texas and Lake Charles, LA. Flew 29 combat missions in Okinawa and North Korea from 1952-53. Retired July 1975 with 20 years as a B-52 Nav/Bomb Instructor and Stand Board Evaluator with 9000 hours in a B-52. Obtained a Bachelor of Education through the University of Nebraska Omaha during his career and upon retirement obtained his A.S. in Real Estate through St. Petersburg College and a BA in Business Management through Tampa College, Graduating Magna Cum Laude. Military awards include Air Medal, Commendation Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters, Korean Service Medal, 2 Silver Stars, United Nations Medal, Combat Readiness, National Defense Service Medal with 2 Clusters, US Presidential Unit Citation, and the South Korean Presidential Unit Citation. He is survived by his 3 children, Pamela Hachey of Syracuse, NY and her husband David Hachey, Lynn Ritter of St. Petersburg and her husband, John Ritter, Timothy Grooms of Palm Harbor and his wife Pamela Grooms; 6 grandchildren, Kevin, Jay and Alex Hachey, Erin Ritter and Caitlin and Hayden Grooms; his sister, Patricia Grooms Waller of Palm Coast, FL. Funeral services will be held Thursday March 4 at 11 am at Memorial Park Funeral Home. The family will receive friends from 10 to 11.
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