Obituaries » John F. Groves Having watched the sun set behind the Blue Ridge Mountains for the final time, John Franklin Groves, 87, died at his farm near Lakota on January 9, 2021.
He was born at his parentsâ Edgewood Farm in Bealeton on February 19, 1933. He was the 12th of Otaway and Pearl Grovesâ 14 children â seven sons and seven daughters.
Strong, handsome and athletic, âJohnnieâ graduated from Stuyvesant School in Warrenton, where he enjoyed playing on the academyâs baseball and football teams.
After graduation, John married Pearline Messick. They had three loving children, Diane Gulick, Jon Michael Groves and Melanie Sullivan.
Later in life, John married Frances Smith Hitt and added her loving daughter Crystal Carpenter to the family. Soon after, they had their devoted son Paul Groves. Now the family is three generations and 20 in number.