Son of Alva Louis Groves and Frances Blanche Hayes Groves, he had seven siblings, Alice Lorraine, Hazel Louise, Lorma Marie, Ilene May, Audrey Karlene and Doris Ann. He had two half brothers, Olen and Glen Groves. Married in 1950 to Elma Jane Chase, died shortly thereafter of an accidental shooting by his father. He and Elma had one daughter Donna Dee Groves, born nine months after his death. His sisters never knew his wife was pregnant, but always wondered why they never heard from her after his funeral. Her own mother had sent her to Wyoming to live with her own father, where she gave birth unbeknownst to Don's sisters.
In 2012, through focused research at the Family History Library, I found someone online who had done a family tree including Donald Dee Groves on Ancestry.com. After several hours of not being able to discern who owned this family tree, I reached out through Ancestry.com and asked how they were related to Donald Dee Groves, because he was my Uncle, and my deceased mother was his sister. I left my phone number in the message, packed up my paperwork and left the FHL. When I got home, decided I would just have to join Ancestry.com so I could do my research from the comfort of my home. The phone rang, and the caller identified herself as Donna Dee Groves, Donald Dee Grove's daughter. This was nothing short of a miracle. We had a family reunion planned the following weekend, and she agreed to bring her mother down from Wyoming to Denver, Colorado to meet with Don's last two remaining siblings.
I didn't tell my Aunts of the pending visit the day of the reunion until Donna and her husband and mother showed up. Truly a memorable day for the 35+ cousins gathered that day.
In 2012, through focused research at the Family History Library, I found someone online who had done a family tree including Donald Dee Groves on Ancestry.com. After several hours of not being able to discern who owned this family tree, I reached out through Ancestry.com and asked how they were related to Donald Dee Groves, because he was my Uncle, and my deceased mother was his sister. I left my phone number in the message, packed up my paperwork and left the FHL. When I got home, decided I would just have to join Ancestry.com so I could do my research from the comfort of my home. The phone rang, and the caller identified herself as Donna Dee Groves, Donald Dee Grove's daughter. This was nothing short of a miracle. We had a family reunion planned the following weekend, and she agreed to bring her mother down from Wyoming to Denver, Colorado to meet with Don's last two remaining siblings.
I didn't tell my Aunts of the pending visit the day of the reunion until Donna and her husband and mother showed up. Truly a memorable day for the 35+ cousins gathered that day.
Son of Alva Louis Groves and Frances Blanche Hayes Groves, he had seven siblings, Alice Lorraine, Hazel Louise, Lorma Marie, Ilene May, Audrey Karlene and Doris Ann. He had two half brothers, Olen and Glen Groves. Married in 1950 to Elma Jane Chase, died shortly thereafter of an accidental shooting by his father. He and Elma had one daughter Donna Dee Groves, born nine months after his death. His sisters never knew his wife was pregnant, but always wondered why they never heard from her after his funeral. Her own mother had sent her to Wyoming to live with her own father, where she gave birth unbeknownst to Don's sisters.
In 2012, through focused research at the Family History Library, I found someone online who had done a family tree including Donald Dee Groves on Ancestry.com. After several hours of not being able to discern who owned this family tree, I reached out through Ancestry.com and asked how they were related to Donald Dee Groves, because he was my Uncle, and my deceased mother was his sister. I left my phone number in the message, packed up my paperwork and left the FHL. When I got home, decided I would just have to join Ancestry.com so I could do my research from the comfort of my home. The phone rang, and the caller identified herself as Donna Dee Groves, Donald Dee Grove's daughter. This was nothing short of a miracle. We had a family reunion planned the following weekend, and she agreed to bring her mother down from Wyoming to Denver, Colorado to meet with Don's last two remaining siblings.
I didn't tell my Aunts of the pending visit the day of the reunion until Donna and her husband and mother showed up. Truly a memorable day for the 35+ cousins gathered that day.
In 2012, through focused research at the Family History Library, I found someone online who had done a family tree including Donald Dee Groves on Ancestry.com. After several hours of not being able to discern who owned this family tree, I reached out through Ancestry.com and asked how they were related to Donald Dee Groves, because he was my Uncle, and my deceased mother was his sister. I left my phone number in the message, packed up my paperwork and left the FHL. When I got home, decided I would just have to join Ancestry.com so I could do my research from the comfort of my home. The phone rang, and the caller identified herself as Donna Dee Groves, Donald Dee Grove's daughter. This was nothing short of a miracle. We had a family reunion planned the following weekend, and she agreed to bring her mother down from Wyoming to Denver, Colorado to meet with Don's last two remaining siblings.
I didn't tell my Aunts of the pending visit the day of the reunion until Donna and her husband and mother showed up. Truly a memorable day for the 35+ cousins gathered that day.
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