John W. Grover, age 78, of Elkhart, passed away Monday, Dec. 8, 2014 at Elkhart General Hospital. John was born May 3, 1936 in Goshen, Indiana. He was preceded in death by his father, Walter Grover, his mother, Edith (Knepper) Chapman and his step-father Ed Chapman. John served for many years in the National Guard, and worked in the maintenance department and as a truck driver at Walerko Tool and Engineering in Elkhart until his retirement. On May 19, 1990, John married Marian Hebel-Latzke in Elkhart.
Surviving is his wife, Marian Grover of Elkhart, and his children, Kimberly (Robert) Mette of Rockford, MI, Kraig Grover of Elkhart, Kevin (Lisa) Grover of Granger, and Kelley (Mike) Engel of Navarre, FL. Also surviving are his siblings, Jack Grover and Chuck Grover, both of Arizona. Surviving as well are 8 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren. John was preceded in death by his brothers "Pete", Arley, and Walter "Junior" Grover, and his sister Rosemary.
Visitation will be held from 4-6 pm Friday, Dec. 12, 2014 at Chapel Hill Funeral Home in Osceola. John''s brother, Jack Grover, will officiate the 6:00 pm funeral service on Friday. Interment will be in Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens, Osceola.
John enjoyed fishing, and his younger years, swimming. He was a hard worker, and after retirement, worked for Wal-Mart in Dunlap for two years, and also served as a volunteer firefighter with the Edwardsburg, Michigan Fire Department. John was a fan of classic country music, and loved his dog, Hershey.
In his memory, donations may be made to the American Cancer Society, or the Alzheimer''s and Dementia Services of Northern Indiana