Jean Thayer Groom, 82, died Tuesday, March 17, 2015 at Elderwood at Liverpool. Born January 18, 1933 in Blossburg, PA, Betty was the seventh of eight children of Francis and Edna Olin Thayer. She grew up in the southern tier of New York and northern Pennsylvania; in towns such as Olean, Belfast, Belmont, Pine City and Elmira, NY and Bradford and Jackson Summit, PA. She spent most of her young life in Elmira, attending Washington School and Elmira Free Academy. She graduated from EFA in 1949 and was honored with the art award as best art student. She excelled in painting and drawing. She also studied business while in high school and used that knowledge in her early working life. She worked in retail at Izard's Department Store and Woolworth's in Elmira before joining Elmira Drug Co., where she did the books.
Betty also attended USO dances at Sampson Air Force Base on Seneca Lake in the early 1950s where she won many jitterbug contests. She told lots of wonderful stories about the dances and the dancers, including one man named "Happy" who was from Texas and was the best dancer ever, according to Betty. He would often flip her over his shoulders and slide her between his legs in fancy Jitterbug moves.
During a trip to Keuka Lake with girlfriends from Elmira in the summer of 1953, she and her friends ran into a group of guys vacationing there who also were from Elmira. A guy in the group, Floyd Groom, saw Betty in her white bathing suit and he was smitten. Betty and Floyd were married September 10, 1954 in Oakwood United Methodist Church in Elmira. They settled in Elmira where their first daughter, Debbie was born. Betty continued working at Elmira Drug and Floyd was a car man for the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad.
In 1956, they packed up and moved to Syracuse as the railroad yard in Elmira was scaling back personnel and Floyd transferred to the Geddes yard at the corner of Fayette and Geddes streets in Syracuse. They lived on Greenway Avenue in Syracuse until 1959 when they bought a house on Fergerson Avenue in North Syracuse and where their second daughter, Mary Ann, was born.
Betty stayed home with the girls until the 1965-66 school year when she got a job as a teacher's aide at Main Street Elementary School in the North Syracuse school district. She put her artistic talents to good use at Main Street, making many creative billboards in classrooms throughout the school and did hundreds of silhouette drawings of children throughout the years at the school.
Her art background also came into play when Betty served as a leader for a Camp Fire Girl group for many years. She was fabulous when crafts were being made, but also was a fine leader by example and had loads of fun with all the girls, whether it was when they were on a field trip or on one of their many winter camping excursions to Highland Forest. The Groom family enjoyed camping, boating and fishing. They spent nearly every weekend of the summer at Betty's brother's camp on the St. Lawrence River, catching bass and northern pike and frying them up at night for dinner. After that camp was sold, they began tenting each summer at Wellesley Island and then at Riverside Provincial Park outside Morrisburg, Ontario.
Betty loved to travel and did so with Floyd during the summers. They went to Canada (they loved Nova Scotia), all through the south and out west to Yellowstone, the Badlands and Mount Rushmore. After Floyd died, she continued traveling with her daughter Debbie. They loved their trips to Newfoundland, to Glacier and Grand Teton National Parks, Nova Scotia, and throughout the western U.S. There were always many stories from these trips that Betty loved to tell everyone who would listen.
When Main Street Elementary closed, Betty transferred to North Syracuse Junior High where she worked in the audio-visual department and then as the secretary for the school psychologist. She remained in this position until Februaary 26, 2001 when she suffered a massive stroke. She officially retired in 2002 after 36 years with the school district.
Betty loved the kids at both schools she worked at and enjoyed listening to them tell their tales during the school days. She always bristled when people would talk about those "no good kids." She said a large majority of kids were good, only a couple of bad apples came through from time to time, and she hated to hear all students labeled as good-for-nothing kids.
Betty made many friends at Elderwood at Liverpool during her 14 years there after her stroke and was a delight to the nursing assistants, nurses, activities leaders and volunteers there. Her daughters tried to ensure she remained active while at Elderwood, making sure she went to Chiefs games, the zoo and fishing at Carpenters Brook each year.
Betty was predeceased by her husband Floyd, who died October 20, 1985; her parents; three brothers, Edwin, Robert and Richard; and two sisters, Edna and Shirley.
She is survived by her daughters, Debbie of Baldwinsville, and Mary Ann (Kirk) Dunseath of Baldwinsville; a brother, Roy of Florida; a sister, Nancy Thayer-Green of Fresno, CA; a sister-in-law, Florence Loeffler of Vine Grove, KY; 10 nieces and two nephews, and many cousins, and great nieces and great nephews.
Calling hours will be Friday, March 20, from 3 to 7 p.m. at Fergerson Funeral Home, 215 South Main St., North Syracuse. Services will be Saturday at 10 a.m. at the funeral home, Rev. Penny Hart officiating. Burial will follow in North Syracuse Cemetery.
Donations may be made, in lieu of flowers, to North Syracuse Dollars for Scholars, PO Box 5205, Syracuse, NY 13220-5205.
Betty also attended USO dances at Sampson Air Force Base on Seneca Lake in the early 1950s where she won many jitterbug contests. She told lots of wonderful stories about the dances and the dancers, including one man named "Happy" who was from Texas and was the best dancer ever, according to Betty. He would often flip her over his shoulders and slide her between his legs in fancy Jitterbug moves.
During a trip to Keuka Lake with girlfriends from Elmira in the summer of 1953, she and her friends ran into a group of guys vacationing there who also were from Elmira. A guy in the group, Floyd Groom, saw Betty in her white bathing suit and he was smitten. Betty and Floyd were married September 10, 1954 in Oakwood United Methodist Church in Elmira. They settled in Elmira where their first daughter, Debbie was born. Betty continued working at Elmira Drug and Floyd was a car man for the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad.
In 1956, they packed up and moved to Syracuse as the railroad yard in Elmira was scaling back personnel and Floyd transferred to the Geddes yard at the corner of Fayette and Geddes streets in Syracuse. They lived on Greenway Avenue in Syracuse until 1959 when they bought a house on Fergerson Avenue in North Syracuse and where their second daughter, Mary Ann, was born.
Betty stayed home with the girls until the 1965-66 school year when she got a job as a teacher's aide at Main Street Elementary School in the North Syracuse school district. She put her artistic talents to good use at Main Street, making many creative billboards in classrooms throughout the school and did hundreds of silhouette drawings of children throughout the years at the school.
Her art background also came into play when Betty served as a leader for a Camp Fire Girl group for many years. She was fabulous when crafts were being made, but also was a fine leader by example and had loads of fun with all the girls, whether it was when they were on a field trip or on one of their many winter camping excursions to Highland Forest. The Groom family enjoyed camping, boating and fishing. They spent nearly every weekend of the summer at Betty's brother's camp on the St. Lawrence River, catching bass and northern pike and frying them up at night for dinner. After that camp was sold, they began tenting each summer at Wellesley Island and then at Riverside Provincial Park outside Morrisburg, Ontario.
Betty loved to travel and did so with Floyd during the summers. They went to Canada (they loved Nova Scotia), all through the south and out west to Yellowstone, the Badlands and Mount Rushmore. After Floyd died, she continued traveling with her daughter Debbie. They loved their trips to Newfoundland, to Glacier and Grand Teton National Parks, Nova Scotia, and throughout the western U.S. There were always many stories from these trips that Betty loved to tell everyone who would listen.
When Main Street Elementary closed, Betty transferred to North Syracuse Junior High where she worked in the audio-visual department and then as the secretary for the school psychologist. She remained in this position until Februaary 26, 2001 when she suffered a massive stroke. She officially retired in 2002 after 36 years with the school district.
Betty loved the kids at both schools she worked at and enjoyed listening to them tell their tales during the school days. She always bristled when people would talk about those "no good kids." She said a large majority of kids were good, only a couple of bad apples came through from time to time, and she hated to hear all students labeled as good-for-nothing kids.
Betty made many friends at Elderwood at Liverpool during her 14 years there after her stroke and was a delight to the nursing assistants, nurses, activities leaders and volunteers there. Her daughters tried to ensure she remained active while at Elderwood, making sure she went to Chiefs games, the zoo and fishing at Carpenters Brook each year.
Betty was predeceased by her husband Floyd, who died October 20, 1985; her parents; three brothers, Edwin, Robert and Richard; and two sisters, Edna and Shirley.
She is survived by her daughters, Debbie of Baldwinsville, and Mary Ann (Kirk) Dunseath of Baldwinsville; a brother, Roy of Florida; a sister, Nancy Thayer-Green of Fresno, CA; a sister-in-law, Florence Loeffler of Vine Grove, KY; 10 nieces and two nephews, and many cousins, and great nieces and great nephews.
Calling hours will be Friday, March 20, from 3 to 7 p.m. at Fergerson Funeral Home, 215 South Main St., North Syracuse. Services will be Saturday at 10 a.m. at the funeral home, Rev. Penny Hart officiating. Burial will follow in North Syracuse Cemetery.
Donations may be made, in lieu of flowers, to North Syracuse Dollars for Scholars, PO Box 5205, Syracuse, NY 13220-5205.
Jean Thayer Groom, 82, died Tuesday, March 17, 2015 at Elderwood at Liverpool. Born January 18, 1933 in Blossburg, PA, Betty was the seventh of eight children of Francis and Edna Olin Thayer. She grew up in the southern tier of New York and northern Pennsylvania; in towns such as Olean, Belfast, Belmont, Pine City and Elmira, NY and Bradford and Jackson Summit, PA. She spent most of her young life in Elmira, attending Washington School and Elmira Free Academy. She graduated from EFA in 1949 and was honored with the art award as best art student. She excelled in painting and drawing. She also studied business while in high school and used that knowledge in her early working life. She worked in retail at Izard's Department Store and Woolworth's in Elmira before joining Elmira Drug Co., where she did the books.
Betty also attended USO dances at Sampson Air Force Base on Seneca Lake in the early 1950s where she won many jitterbug contests. She told lots of wonderful stories about the dances and the dancers, including one man named "Happy" who was from Texas and was the best dancer ever, according to Betty. He would often flip her over his shoulders and slide her between his legs in fancy Jitterbug moves.
During a trip to Keuka Lake with girlfriends from Elmira in the summer of 1953, she and her friends ran into a group of guys vacationing there who also were from Elmira. A guy in the group, Floyd Groom, saw Betty in her white bathing suit and he was smitten. Betty and Floyd were married September 10, 1954 in Oakwood United Methodist Church in Elmira. They settled in Elmira where their first daughter, Debbie was born. Betty continued working at Elmira Drug and Floyd was a car man for the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad.
In 1956, they packed up and moved to Syracuse as the railroad yard in Elmira was scaling back personnel and Floyd transferred to the Geddes yard at the corner of Fayette and Geddes streets in Syracuse. They lived on Greenway Avenue in Syracuse until 1959 when they bought a house on Fergerson Avenue in North Syracuse and where their second daughter, Mary Ann, was born.
Betty stayed home with the girls until the 1965-66 school year when she got a job as a teacher's aide at Main Street Elementary School in the North Syracuse school district. She put her artistic talents to good use at Main Street, making many creative billboards in classrooms throughout the school and did hundreds of silhouette drawings of children throughout the years at the school.
Her art background also came into play when Betty served as a leader for a Camp Fire Girl group for many years. She was fabulous when crafts were being made, but also was a fine leader by example and had loads of fun with all the girls, whether it was when they were on a field trip or on one of their many winter camping excursions to Highland Forest. The Groom family enjoyed camping, boating and fishing. They spent nearly every weekend of the summer at Betty's brother's camp on the St. Lawrence River, catching bass and northern pike and frying them up at night for dinner. After that camp was sold, they began tenting each summer at Wellesley Island and then at Riverside Provincial Park outside Morrisburg, Ontario.
Betty loved to travel and did so with Floyd during the summers. They went to Canada (they loved Nova Scotia), all through the south and out west to Yellowstone, the Badlands and Mount Rushmore. After Floyd died, she continued traveling with her daughter Debbie. They loved their trips to Newfoundland, to Glacier and Grand Teton National Parks, Nova Scotia, and throughout the western U.S. There were always many stories from these trips that Betty loved to tell everyone who would listen.
When Main Street Elementary closed, Betty transferred to North Syracuse Junior High where she worked in the audio-visual department and then as the secretary for the school psychologist. She remained in this position until Februaary 26, 2001 when she suffered a massive stroke. She officially retired in 2002 after 36 years with the school district.
Betty loved the kids at both schools she worked at and enjoyed listening to them tell their tales during the school days. She always bristled when people would talk about those "no good kids." She said a large majority of kids were good, only a couple of bad apples came through from time to time, and she hated to hear all students labeled as good-for-nothing kids.
Betty made many friends at Elderwood at Liverpool during her 14 years there after her stroke and was a delight to the nursing assistants, nurses, activities leaders and volunteers there. Her daughters tried to ensure she remained active while at Elderwood, making sure she went to Chiefs games, the zoo and fishing at Carpenters Brook each year.
Betty was predeceased by her husband Floyd, who died October 20, 1985; her parents; three brothers, Edwin, Robert and Richard; and two sisters, Edna and Shirley.
She is survived by her daughters, Debbie of Baldwinsville, and Mary Ann (Kirk) Dunseath of Baldwinsville; a brother, Roy of Florida; a sister, Nancy Thayer-Green of Fresno, CA; a sister-in-law, Florence Loeffler of Vine Grove, KY; 10 nieces and two nephews, and many cousins, and great nieces and great nephews.
Calling hours will be Friday, March 20, from 3 to 7 p.m. at Fergerson Funeral Home, 215 South Main St., North Syracuse. Services will be Saturday at 10 a.m. at the funeral home, Rev. Penny Hart officiating. Burial will follow in North Syracuse Cemetery.
Donations may be made, in lieu of flowers, to North Syracuse Dollars for Scholars, PO Box 5205, Syracuse, NY 13220-5205.
Betty also attended USO dances at Sampson Air Force Base on Seneca Lake in the early 1950s where she won many jitterbug contests. She told lots of wonderful stories about the dances and the dancers, including one man named "Happy" who was from Texas and was the best dancer ever, according to Betty. He would often flip her over his shoulders and slide her between his legs in fancy Jitterbug moves.
During a trip to Keuka Lake with girlfriends from Elmira in the summer of 1953, she and her friends ran into a group of guys vacationing there who also were from Elmira. A guy in the group, Floyd Groom, saw Betty in her white bathing suit and he was smitten. Betty and Floyd were married September 10, 1954 in Oakwood United Methodist Church in Elmira. They settled in Elmira where their first daughter, Debbie was born. Betty continued working at Elmira Drug and Floyd was a car man for the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad.
In 1956, they packed up and moved to Syracuse as the railroad yard in Elmira was scaling back personnel and Floyd transferred to the Geddes yard at the corner of Fayette and Geddes streets in Syracuse. They lived on Greenway Avenue in Syracuse until 1959 when they bought a house on Fergerson Avenue in North Syracuse and where their second daughter, Mary Ann, was born.
Betty stayed home with the girls until the 1965-66 school year when she got a job as a teacher's aide at Main Street Elementary School in the North Syracuse school district. She put her artistic talents to good use at Main Street, making many creative billboards in classrooms throughout the school and did hundreds of silhouette drawings of children throughout the years at the school.
Her art background also came into play when Betty served as a leader for a Camp Fire Girl group for many years. She was fabulous when crafts were being made, but also was a fine leader by example and had loads of fun with all the girls, whether it was when they were on a field trip or on one of their many winter camping excursions to Highland Forest. The Groom family enjoyed camping, boating and fishing. They spent nearly every weekend of the summer at Betty's brother's camp on the St. Lawrence River, catching bass and northern pike and frying them up at night for dinner. After that camp was sold, they began tenting each summer at Wellesley Island and then at Riverside Provincial Park outside Morrisburg, Ontario.
Betty loved to travel and did so with Floyd during the summers. They went to Canada (they loved Nova Scotia), all through the south and out west to Yellowstone, the Badlands and Mount Rushmore. After Floyd died, she continued traveling with her daughter Debbie. They loved their trips to Newfoundland, to Glacier and Grand Teton National Parks, Nova Scotia, and throughout the western U.S. There were always many stories from these trips that Betty loved to tell everyone who would listen.
When Main Street Elementary closed, Betty transferred to North Syracuse Junior High where she worked in the audio-visual department and then as the secretary for the school psychologist. She remained in this position until Februaary 26, 2001 when she suffered a massive stroke. She officially retired in 2002 after 36 years with the school district.
Betty loved the kids at both schools she worked at and enjoyed listening to them tell their tales during the school days. She always bristled when people would talk about those "no good kids." She said a large majority of kids were good, only a couple of bad apples came through from time to time, and she hated to hear all students labeled as good-for-nothing kids.
Betty made many friends at Elderwood at Liverpool during her 14 years there after her stroke and was a delight to the nursing assistants, nurses, activities leaders and volunteers there. Her daughters tried to ensure she remained active while at Elderwood, making sure she went to Chiefs games, the zoo and fishing at Carpenters Brook each year.
Betty was predeceased by her husband Floyd, who died October 20, 1985; her parents; three brothers, Edwin, Robert and Richard; and two sisters, Edna and Shirley.
She is survived by her daughters, Debbie of Baldwinsville, and Mary Ann (Kirk) Dunseath of Baldwinsville; a brother, Roy of Florida; a sister, Nancy Thayer-Green of Fresno, CA; a sister-in-law, Florence Loeffler of Vine Grove, KY; 10 nieces and two nephews, and many cousins, and great nieces and great nephews.
Calling hours will be Friday, March 20, from 3 to 7 p.m. at Fergerson Funeral Home, 215 South Main St., North Syracuse. Services will be Saturday at 10 a.m. at the funeral home, Rev. Penny Hart officiating. Burial will follow in North Syracuse Cemetery.
Donations may be made, in lieu of flowers, to North Syracuse Dollars for Scholars, PO Box 5205, Syracuse, NY 13220-5205.
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