Stanley Edwin Groothuis

Stanley Edwin Groothuis, died peacefully at his home on October 9, 2026. He was born May 20, 1931. A memorial service and reception will be held Saturday November 14 at 2:00 PM at Cross of Life Lutheran Church, Roswell, GA.

Stanley enjoyed 95 wonderful years on this earth and has now passed to his heavenly home. He grew up in a loving family on a farm near Trenton, Nebraska with his five brothers, parents, and grandmother. Working outdoors with the animals and in the corn and wheat fields, along with helping maintain equipment and property fleshed out his education at their one-room schoolhouse. These early experiences helped kick start his life-long interest in science and math, and helped him develop into the kind, quick, curious, hard-working, man that was our beloved Stanley.

After graduating from Trenton High School in 1948, Stanley entered the University of Nebraska in Lincoln where he met and married Josephine Lococo on June 5, 1951, before completing an Electrical Engineering degree. Stanley also joined the Naval Reserves during that time, eventually serving for eight years.

With many possibilities before them, Stanley chose a move to Oak Ridge, Tennessee to work in the field of nuclear energy and technology, which he said held much promise and hope at that point in history. As the only family members to leave Nebraska, their move promised to be a life-long adventure with many trips back to visit family each year. Stan and Jo loved exploring their new home, venturing frequently to the Smokies and surrounding recreational lakes of the TVA, camping, hiking, bike riding, and boating as they grew their family and raised their three children.

Stanley worked on many fascinating projects that earned him several U.S. Patents spanning his entire career at the Department of Energy facilities in Oak Ridge. For instance, he built a device for an experiment that launched in space on Gemini III, designed instrumentation for Y-12 stack radiological emission monitoring, and worked on projects related to uranium enrichment by gaseous diffusion and later by gas centrifugation. Along the way, Stanley moved the family to Champaign-Urbana for a year and a half to earn a master’s in electrical engineering at the University of Illinois before returning to Oak Ridge. After retirement, Stanley taught himself accounting and, along with Jo, worked in his son Neil’s business, enjoying the challenge of a second career.

Beginning with his baptism on July 26, 1931, Stanley was an active member of several Lutheran churches over his life, serving in various roles such as treasurer and sound engineer, and has been a member of Cross of Life in Roswell since October, 2023.

In later years, Stanley loved nothing more than gathering his children and grandchildren for cabin adventures and bike rides, for holidays, for travel, or just to see a child’s sporting event, a local musical performance, or art exhibit. He built a tree house and tall swing for the grands, and hosted great-grands and nieces and nephews for train rides and raft trips and zip lines, delighting in their participation even when he and Jo would just watch. We will miss his joy in life and hope to carry it forward in his memory.

Stanley is survived by his dear wife of 75 years, Josephine Groothuis, their three children Mike (Carol) Groothuis, Neil (Kristie) Groothuis, and Ellen (Mike) Garver, as well as seven grandchildren, nine great grandchildren and nieces and nephews who loved him.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Stanley’s name to Cross of Life Lutheran Church (specify “Endowment Fund for Stanley Memorial) or Emory St. Joseph’s Hospital Fund of Excellence.