- Date Of Birth: September 28, 1953
- Date Of Death: February 24, 2013
- State: Illinois
John Sheldon Grove, 59, of LaSalle, passed away Sunday morning, February 24, 2013 after a brave and tough battle at an inadequate hospital in Chicago.
Mr. Grove was born on September 28, 1953 in Augusta to John H. and Melba L. (Townes) Grove. He graduated from Southeastern High School in 1971. He graduated from Spoon River College in Canton in 1973, majoring in agriculture. He received his truck driving certificate from Illinois Valley Community College in 2000.
He was employed at Moorman Feed Company in Qunicy as a salesman and later a sales manager. He was a technician for Vactor Industrial Services in Streator and also held several various construction jobs in the Houston, Texas area. Upon his return to the Illinois Valley area, he was employed at LaSalle Rolling Mills and Zinco for 18 years, working a variety of different tasks. He had been an over-the-road truck driver for Roehl Transportation since June 2000. Sheldon, as he was known to his family and friends, married Theresa Burash on November 28, 1982 at Zion United Church of Christ in Peru.
They welcomed their son, Evan Paul Grove on August 20, 1984. Evan is now married to Jessica and they have blessed Sheldon with two beautiful grandchildren: his ball playing partner, Katilin, 5 and his buddy, Aiden, 3 months. Sheldon deeply loved and was equally adored by his family. His favorite moments were spent drinking coffee while being with them. Sheldon had a dazzling smile, a mischievous twinkle in his beautiful blue eyes and a southern twang his family loved. He lived simply and loved deeply. He left us much too soon and he left behind wonderful memories and a hole in our heart that will never be filled. Sheldon was an unforgettable and unique man.
He will be loved and missed every day. He is survived by his wife, Theresa; son, Evan (Jessica) Grove and two grandchildren, Kaitlin and Aiden all of LaSalle and his mother, Melba and her special friend, Floyd Lambert and his family of Augusta and surrounding area. He enjoyed a large, extended family consisting of, but not limited to, his mother-in-law, Mary Fiedler and sister-in-law, Nancy (Kenneth) Schmidt both of LaSalle; a brother-in-law, Edward (Peggy) Burash of Mark and many, many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.
He was preceded in death by his father, John Harrison Grove in 1996; his maternal grandmother, Dessie Yocum in 2004; a brother-in-law, Dave Burash in 2006 and his father-in-law, Otto Fiedler in 2011. Pallbearers will be Jeffery Ashlock, Christopher Coan, Nathaniel Ashlock, Ernie Arriaga III, Jason Lorden and Matt Colby.
