Grover Petrie

Date of Birth

Apr 20,1917

Date of Death

Jun 23,2005

Grover R. Petrie, age 88, of Elburn, passed away peacefully in his sleep on June 23, 2005, after a long battle with emphysema.He was born April 20, 1917, in Sycamore, IL the son of Clarence and Ethel (Hill) Petrie. The family made their home in Sycamore where Grover attended local schools. It was the Depression era and school ended early for Grover while he went to work. At the age of eighteen, Grover, went to work for the C.C.C. in northern Idaho. Closer to home he worked in the government programs building roads, including what is now Annie Glidden Road in DeKalb. He enlisted in the United States Army before the draft was created and was stationed in Iceland before Pearl Harbor in 1941. Following the United States coming into WW II, Grover was stationed in England, Ireland and Wales where he served as a radio operator. After forty-two months overseas, Grover returned to the U.S. on rotation, on points. Before he could be ordered to return overseas the war came to an end and Grover went to work for Anaconda and Turner Brass, in Sycamore and Elburn. Grover’s excellent penmanship won him a bride. Carrie Gum saw his handwriting and stole his name from a high school girl friend with the plan of becoming Grover’s pen pal. They wrote to each other for two years, neither having any idea what the other looked like. One day, Grover came knocking at Carrie’s parent’s home on the farm. Carrie in her bib overalls found a soldier there to see her. It was 1945, and life would never be the same for either of them. It was the birth of a lifetime of love and hard work, sweetened with laughter. They were united in marriage on November 28, 1946, at the Elburn Congregational Church. They lived in several apartments in Elburn during the early years, then in what had been the Mud Island School in rural Elburn. For 35 years Grover and Carrie made their home on the McNair farm before returning to spend their last years once again at a newly remodeled Mud Island School.Together, Grover and Carrie farmed the McNair land, raised livestock of all kinds and brought up a family of three children. In 1967, Grover went to work for the Elburn Post Office as a substitute rural mail carrier. In time, it became a fulltime position which he kept until his retirement in 1982. Every summer brought a family fishing trip to Hackensack, MN, where they enjoyed countless times of fun, fishing and fellowship with other Elburnites and their Minnesota "family" of friends.He was a life member of the Elburn American Legion Post #630, the Combat Infantrymen’s Association and for 27 years he bowled with area bowling teams. He had accumulated over 1000 volunteer hours with the Elgin Mental Health Center where he and Carrie brought gifts to veterans every Tuesday morning.Grover was a family man, a hard worker, a storyteller extraordinaire. He loved to fish and was always ready to go out for a meal. His greatest love arrived late in life when his granddaughter, Abby, was born on November 7, 2001. She was the light of his life and the sunshine of even the darkest day. Grover is survived his wife of nearly 60 years, Carrie of Elburn; his son, Neal Petrie of Rochelle, IL,his daughter, Cara (Stephen) Bartel of DeKalb, IL,his beloved granddaughter, Abigail Bartel; many nieces and nephews and countless friends and neighbors. He is preceded in death by his parents; one son, Kenton (1974) and seven sisters and brothers.In lieu of flowers, memorials in his name may be mailed in care of P.O. Box 66, Elburn, IL 60119

A memorial service to celebrate his life will be held at 3pm, Sunday afternoon, June 26, 2005, downstairs at the Elburn Legion Building, which is handicapped accessible through the front door, 112 N. Main St., Elburn.

A private family interment service will follow on Monday at Blackberry Cemetery, Elburn.

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