Urban Howard Groves

Funeral services for Urban Groves will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Thurs., Dec. 22, 2011 at Gillette Memorial Chapel with Pastor Martin Crump of the Family Life Church officiating. Interment will follow in the Mt. Pisgah Cemetery, with Military Honors provided by the American Legion Post #42. Visitation on Wed. will be held from 4:00-7:00 p.m. at Gillette Memorial Chapel. Urban Groves often joked that the day he was born people began jumping out of windows on Wall St., andas he was born on November 9th of 1929he was not far off in his assessment. Growing up in the great depression, he had to deal with hardships that most in recent generations would find difficult to fathom even in these challenging times. But a hard upbringing and a life spent as a Wyoming rancher contributed to a strength of character and will that is rare in this day and age. It toughened him and made him value a straightforward approach to life: he was not one to mince words or beat around the bush in thought or action. His frank and gruff demeanor could be abrasive at times. Yet, he was also willing and ready with a word of encouragement for those who needed it, and that encouragement was valued all the more in light of its sincerity.Urban was the third of six children born to Howard and Cecilia (Schlautmann) Groves of the Savageton Community, south of Gillette. At an early age, he found himself working in the pastures alongside his father. And, according to Urban, he was put to work earlier than most because of a wild streak in him that caused havoc with his siblings. Even out of the house and in the field, Urban managed to find mischief, most often in the company of his cousin and lifelong friend, Larry Gilbertz. Among their delinquencies, the two once snuck into the girl's bathroom at the Niles School determined to frighten the next girl through the door, but the shock they intended became their own when their teacher passed through the door first. And there was the time when their careful deliberations lead the boys to believe that running over their Uncle's bull with an old model T was more advisable than shooing the animal out of their path or going around. These early incidents were characteristic of Urban's sense of humor and practical jokes.In 1947, Urban graduated from Campbell County High School and went into the United States Army. He was stationed on the island of Hokkaido in Japan during the Korean Conflict. Urban said that he was stationed so close to Russia that he could see the Soviet Army through his binoculars. He found that he enjoyed visiting with the locals and picked up Japanese quickly. Word soon got around the base that he had a knack for the language, and Urban was put in charge of purchasing the supplies needed from the local merchants. It was there in his free time that Urban learned the guitar, which he could play by ear. From his time in Japan, what he recalled most was how the snow would pile on top of a fence post there, "a good two feet", he would say, indicating with his hands. This was a novelty for a young man only familiar with the force of Wyoming winds, which are more likely to make six foot drifts than leave a single flake on top of a fence post. When he left the army at age twenty-four, he had achieved the rank of Sergeant First Class.Urban returned to Wyoming after his time in the service. His father had passed away while he was overseas, so Urban went to work as a hand for a local rancher. It was at this time that Urban made the acquaintance of Bernice Willard. Accounts vary on how and when the two first met, but it was after Bernice and a friend of hers offered Urban a car ride in Gillette that their romance began. The two dated for less than a year before they were married in June of 1954 and set themselves up in a house on the Willard Ranch. The first of their children, Tony, was born in 1955 followed two years later by the birth of their second son, Joel. That same year Urban relocated his family to the Harden Place near his childhood home in the Savageton Community. Two more children, Tom and Roxanne, came in the years that followed. In 1966 Bernice's parentsEd and Blancheretired and Urban took over management of their ranch, changing the name from the Turkey Track Ranch to the Sunburst Ranch.Urban enjoyed ranching and acquired as much knowledge as possible on the subject. He weathered good times and bad. Through droughts and killer storms, he worked tirelessly and modeled a single-minded determination and work ethic to his children. He was a member of the Wool Grower's Association, the local school board, the Farmers Cooperative, and The Predatory Board. Urban also had a keen and creative mind and, being from a long line of blacksmiths, enjoyed working metal. He put those assets to use innovating equipment and repurposing items fallen out of use. He made single legged windmills which could quickly be detached from a well and pivoted away for maintenance. He designed and made the sunburst brand for the ranch. And he converted old oil tanks into portable auxiliary sheds which could be pulled behind a tractor from one pasture to another. Urban also enjoyed fishing and the outdoors. He made a point of taking his family on camping trips to the Big Horn Mountains each year. On one occasion, unable to get much work done on the ranch due to rain, Urban packed up his family and drove them to Meadowlark Lake. There, he rented a boat and spent the weekend fishing in the rain with his family. Urban said to his children, "enjoy it while you can, you don't often get fishing this good". With such memories, Urban instilled a lifetime love of nature in his children.In 1989, Urban retired from his work as a rancher but continued to live on and maintain the Sunburst Ranch. For much of his retirement, Urban continued to manage and oversee mineral contracting on the ranch. He made an effort to work with mineral companies, believing that it was best for ranchers and mineral companies to work toward each other's mutual interests. To that point, existing roads, water wells and reservoirs on the ranch were improved for mineral extraction. This served the dual purpose of providing better access for ranch work and forage for livestock while causing the least amount of damage to the land. Though Urban remained active, he made sure to enjoy his retirement too. He traveled frequently, going as far as Germany, Australia, England, and South Africa to visit students he had fostered in an agricultural exchange program. When Urban began losing his sight to macular degeneration, he fought it to the best of his abilities, teaching himself to shoot flies from across a room with rubber bands. After an extended illness, Urban Groves died in his home in the company of his family just before nine in the morning on Saturday December 17th, 2011. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother Clifford. Urban is survived in life by his wife Bernice; his sons Tony, Joel, and Tom ; his daughter Roxanne Keeling; his brothers John and Glen; his sisters Joan Wolff and Marlene Newton; and eleven grandchildren and fourteen great grandchildren. The family of Urban Groves would like to extend their sincere gratitude to the many friends and community members who offered support during Urban's illness. Memorials in Urban's name are suggested to the Close to Home Hospice House, the Wright Museum or the charity of one's choice. Condolences and memorials can be sent in Urban's name in care of Gillette Memorial Chapel, 210 W. 5th St., Gillette, WY 82716. Condolences can also be sent via the internet at www.gillettememorialchapel.com.Funeral Home:Gillette Memorial Chapel210 West Fifth Street Gillette, WYUS 82716