George N. Grove

YORK – George N. Grove, 96, passed away Tuesday, May 28th, 2019. He was the husband of the late Gladys M. (Ewell) Grove. A celebration of life tribute service will be held at 10 AM, Saturday, June 1, 2019 at Heffner Funeral Chapel & Crematory, Inc., 1551 Kenneth Road, York. A viewing will be held from 9-10 AM at the Funeral Chapel. Burial will be in Greenmount Cemetery with a flag folding detail provided by York County Veterans Honor Guard. Born April 4, 1923 in East Prospect, he was one of four sons of the late H. Norman and Frances E. (Bennington) Grove. Following an impoverished childhood during the great depression, George joined the United States Army at 18 to see the world and find adventure. Instead, as a member of the 25th Infantry Division Tropic Lightning, he earned both a Silver Star and Purple Heart while serving in Pearl Harbor, Guadalcanal, and the Philippines. Despite dropping out of school after the 8th grade, George trained himself and discovered the drive and independence it requires to own your own business, becoming amongst other things, a successful chicken farmer, real estate agent, & motel operator. He found his adventure later in life with his soulmate, Gladys Ewell, making friends around the globe during their many travels to every continent, and finally discovering his favorite place on earth, Lake Chapala, Mexico. He loved golf, bowling, poker, and deep conversations late into the evening around the kitchen table. George was also an active and enthusiastic member of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association. As he would say in his own words, "it ain't easy", George is survived by his youngest daughter, Patricia Fritz of York; three grandchildren, Marc Ferree of Maytown, Eric Ferree of Seven Valleys and Nicole Harmon of Culpeper, VA; and four great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his eldest daughter, Linda Sue Ferree.