Nancy Lee Groves

Nancy Burlingame Groves was born on in Clinton, Iowa on March 5,1936, the daughter of Robert and Geraldine Burlingame. She attended schools in Clinton and Davenport, Iowa, graduating from Davenport High School in 1954. Nancy attended the University of Iowa before marrying Robert G. Groves in 1955. She gave birth to their first son, Jeffery, in 1956 and a second son, Bradley, in 1959. Their daughter Susan was born in 1967. Nancy was a homemaker when her children were growing up. Bob and Nancy resided in Davenport until 1968 when they moved to Rockford, Illinois. Nancy enjoyed sewing, knitting, needlepoint, ceramics, and quilting. She and her dad often worked together on remodeling projects in her home. She also like to cook and continually added to her collection of cookbooks. Nancy was also an avid reader, but her real passion was golf. When Nancy was forty-three, a virus struck her heart and caused irreversible damage. She was burdened with repeated cardiac arrests until she was chosen to be one of a hundred patients to receive an experimental defibrillator. After her eighth defibrillator and a move to Arizona, she was placed on the waiting list for a heart transplant. Nancy received her new heart in August of 1999, enabling her to return to a more normal life. Nancy’s husband Robert, who had supported her throughout the years of treatments, passed away suddenly in 2012, shortly before Nancy began weekly dialysis treatments. Throughout Nancy’s life of medical surgeries and procedures, she remained optimistic and cheerful. She had a great sense of humor and liked nothing more than a gathering of family and friends. Nancy was always fun to be with and most people will remember her for her quick wit. Nancy is survived by her children and their families. They are: Jeff and Mary Groves and their daughters, Amanda and Erin; Brad and Sheila Groves and their daughter, Carly. Both families live in Rockford, Illinois. Susan and Jim Carpenter and their children, Bradley, Tom and Cate. They live in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. She is also survived by one sister, Barbara, who lives in Mesa, Arizona.