William Franklin Grove's Obituary
William Franklin Grove was born February 27, 1924, in Tulsa, Oklahoma to Lloyd Baker and Addie Mae Grove. He was the youngest of four children, and is preceded in death by his parents, his baby sister and his two brothers, Robert B. Grove, and L.B. (Jack) Grove. A person's life is remembered by what they do and the impact they have on others. He was an athlete all his life and put that athletic ability into coaching and developing young people. He loved being a coach, a teacher, a husband, a father and most importantly a grandfather. He graduated from East Central High School in 1942. After graduation, he enlisted in the US Navy in 1942, and served as a Communication Specialist for the Western Sea Front in San Francisco until the end of World War II. Like so many other GI's returning from the war, he attended Northeastern State Teachers College, now known as Northeastern State University, where he played baseball and majored in education. He was president of his fraternity, Phi Lambda Chi, and was included in Who's Who of American Colleges and Universities. In 1951, after graduating from Northeastern State College, his coaching career began in the little town of Alluwe and continued in 1953, at East Central Schools where he was the Junior High Principal, head basketball coach, and assistant football coach. In 1958, he moved to Tulsa Edison High School where he became the head basketball coach and also coached baseball, football and golf. In 1964, the Grove family moved to Del City when he accepted the head basketball coach and athletic director positions at Del City High School. He retired from coaching to go into public school administration and became vice principal and then principal of Del City High School. In 1975, the Grove family returned to Tulsa when he accepted the assistant principal position at Union High School where he remained until his retirement in 1985. At his retirement assembly at Union High School the students presented him with a plaque with his famous quote 'Today is the best day of my life, and I expect tomorrow to be even better.' He achieved many of the honors possible for a high school coach in Oklahoma. He was President of the Oklahoma Coaches Association and coached the Oklahoma All-Star Basketball team in 1964. He has been inducted into numerous Halls of Fame including the Oklahoma Coaches Association, Northeastern State University, East Central High School, Edison High School, and Mid-Del School District. He was a member of Kiwanis for over 30 years where he held numerous officer positions. He was also a member of the Broken Arrow Golf and Athletic Club. He loved his OU Sooners, his Union Redskins where he and Clara were original season ticket holders, GOLF (which he loved more than life itself ), and his grandchildren, Amanda and Nathan for which the sun rose and set. He will be greatly missed by his wife of 53 years, Clara Grove, his two daughters and their husbands, Paula and Patrick Kuykendall, Patty and Lawrence Walker, and his grandchildren, the two yellow roses of Texas, Amanda and Nathan. In tough times, Dad would always say 'I've had worse than that on my lip and never quit whistling'. I'm sure he is whistling even now! We love you Dad and will miss you every day. There will be a family visitation on Thursday, November 4, 2010, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm, at Floral Haven Funeral Home, 6500 S. 129th East Ave, Broken Arrow, OK. Services will be held at Floral Haven Chapel on Friday, November 5, 2010, at 10:00 am. Interment will be at Floral Haven Cemetery following the services and lunch will be served in the Floral Haven Family Center after a short graveside service. All friends of the family are invited to attend. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Bill Grove to the Oklahoma Coaches Association Scholarship Fund c/o Oklahoma Coaches Association, 8080 Crystal Park Dr., Oklahoma City, OK 73139. floralhaven.com
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