Wayne Albert Groppe, age 92, passed away on Dec. 8 in his home from complications of heart failure and multiple strokes. His daughter, Jeanne Groppe Chamberlin, was at his side.
Mr. Groppe was born on Nov. 19, 1931, in Dubuque, Iowa, to Clara Loretta Koester Groppe and Albert August Groppe. The family moved multiple times for work his father was managing on Depression-era construction projects.
His father moved to Oak Ridge in the early 1940s after being employed to manage construction activities that supported the Manhattan Project at the Y-12 plant, leaving his family behind. By the time Mr. Groppe and the rest of the family moved to Oak Ridge in 1947, he had lived in eight states (Iowa, Illinois, Oklahoma, Indiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Wisconsin, and Tennessee).
Mr. Groppe and his future wife, Shirley Pauline Ryder Groppe, graduated from Oak Ridge High School in 1949. Mr. Groppe was a lifelong member of St. Mary Parish in Oak Ridge.
Mr. Groppe served for four years in the U.S. Navy during the Korean conflict, with two 12-month tours of duty to the far east aboard the naval ship USS Delta. He married Shirley in 1953, and after the war, studied at and graduated from Milwaukee School of Engineering in 1958 with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering.
He was immediately employed at Y-12, where he worked for 41 years until retiring in 1995, saying he could not imagine more interesting work than what went on there. Mr. Groppe was a registered professional engineer in Tennessee until he retired from his position in the maintenance division as a department superintendent.
After retiring, he and Mrs. Groppe traveled to 43 countries before her health forced them to stop. These experiences served to further cement his interest in history, which he had always enjoyed reading about, just as he enjoyed reading about science. Listening to classical music was another hobby.
Mr. Groppe was a member of the Oak Ridge Bowling Association Hall of Fame and excelled as a bowler throughout much of his life. He worked as a pinsetter when he was young and attributes that to successfully scoring a perfect 300 game.
Mr. Groppe also was an avid golfer, hitting the greens until the age of 90. In his life he scored two holes-in-one, the first at the age of 70. At home he enjoyed playing pool whenever possible, and did so with his son-in-law, Randall Chamberlin, until a few months before his death.
Mr. Groppe was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 64 years, Shirley, in 2017; parents, Clara and Albert Groppe; sister, Elaine Stoetzel; and infant son, Wayne Alan Groppe. Survivors include his children, Dr. Linda Groppe Eissenberg and husband Dr. Joel Eissenberg of East Providence, R.I., Karen Groppe Rink of Schaumberg, Ill., Jeanne Chamberlin and husband Randall of Oak Ridge, and Jackie Groppe Emery and husband David of Frankfort, Ky.; grandchildren, Rebecca Eissenova (Anna), Patrick Emery, Ryan Emery (Brittany), Steven Rink, and Lee Chamberlin; and great-grandsons, Jayce Emery and Jonah Eissenova.
The family requests any donations in Mr. Groppe’s honor be made to the American Red Cross, where Mr. Groppe was a lifelong blood donor, or to a dementia-related charity of the donor’s choice since both Mr. and Mrs. Groppe suffered from the disease.
A funeral Mass for Mr. Groppe was celebrated on Dec. 16 at St. Mary Church, with Father Ray Powell serving as the celebrant. Burial was on Dec. 17 at Oak Ridge Memorial Park.
