John Groth, 62, passed away suddenly in Tucson, Arizona. John was born in St Louis to Evangeline and the late William L Groth, Jr and attended Lindbergh Senior High School.
After attending American University, John joined the Army. Fluent in Russian, the Army sent him to the Presidio of Monterey to study Arabic and John was assigned to Military Intelligence. He then became a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne at Fort Bragg, NC. His deployments included the Panama War; three tours in the Sinai Peninsula; eight months in Bosnia with Peace Keeping Forces; 1990-91 Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Desert Sabre; and, in 2003, Operation Iraqi Freedom. John joined the Louisiana National Guard where he supported state operations during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. John was assigned to teach at the Military Intelligence School at Fort Huachuca, AZ as a Senior Training Specialist, Military Intelligence where he finished his career in the military, volunteering to retire so a younger teacher would keep his employment.
John is survived by his mother, Evangeline R. Groth, nee Tolentino, four siblings, Marjorie (John) Larsen, William (Susan) Groth, Charles (Dijana) Groth and Mary O’Neill. He was the uncle of John, Will, Charles, Edward, Sophia & James Larsen, of AJ & Will Groth, of Elliott & David Groth and of Jamie O’Neill. He was a beloved son, brother, nephew, uncle, great-uncle and friend to many.
John will be remembered for his service to his country, his love of role-playing games, his lifelong passion for camping and the outdoors, unending pride of his hometown of St. Louis, and his penchant for horrible puns.
Visitation will be held on Thursday, August 27 4 pm – 8 pm at Kutis Funeral Home in Affton, 10151 Gravois Rd, St Louis, MO 63123
Funeral Service will be held on Friday, August 28 at 10:30 am at Kutis followed by a committal service at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery
Rest well, friend.
You led an exceptional life of service, and were a very good friend to me. I had a great time at cons being a big nerd with you, I will miss you.
Love,
Lizzie
I served as an NCO with John in the 415th MI Battalion in the 1990s and early 2000s. He was highly detail-oriented and a creative problem-solver—exactly the kind of intellect MI service requires. Still more, John’s GT score was genius level, and his aptitude quietly underpinned everything he did. Rest in peace, John. You gave long and distinguished service to the nation you loved and were so proud to serve. Those of us who worked alongside you remain grateful.
My condolences to John’s family. I served with John in the 415th along with Russell Clark and many others for over a decade. John was an intelligent and kind hearted person who was always there to assist. I am deeply saddened. There are so few soldiers or people like him. John will be missed. And to everyone else from the Old Guard, I hope you are well.
Thank You for your service Sir. I did not serve in the armed forces. But, I certainly understand the immense value of what all of you brave Soldiers do for the American citizens and others around the globe. It is Only because of you brave Men and Women, that we can rest easy in the United States of America. Thank You Sir, and may GOD bless and watch over your Family.🙏🙏🙏🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
John was a patriot, good soldier, intelligence professional, linguist and a brilliant thinker. He was part of an awesome NCO corps that took care of, raised up and trained some of the finest soldiers and mentored, taught and shepherded newly minted officers. He will be missed.
John, everyone thought you were a goof. That’s only because they didn’t know you. Rest well my friend and save me a seat at the bar
John’s mom is a close friend & she talked to me about his language skillls & his Service to his Country. I’m so sorry I can’t be with you during this time Vangy.
Toby ‘52 & Sam
My wife and I deeply regret John’s passing and empathize with the family’s loss. Although we did not know John, I was privileged to know his father and grandfather and know they must have been very proud of what John accomplished by continuing the family tradition of service to the community and the country.
We extend our deepest sympathies to Evangeline and the other family members.
I served with John in the 415th MI Bn in both peacetime and war. He will be remembered as the role model for the quiet warriors of Military Intelligence. His dedication, patriotism, and professionalism were matched only by his hidden creativity. While deployed with me and my team, while braving Iraqi SCUD missiles and the constant threat of chemical or biological attack, John’s ability to calm the storm with a creative distraction will remain one of my fondest memories. Every day our team would recognize one member that had made a positive impact by presenting them with a coin. Not a real coin, but a Chuck E Cheeze’s coin that I found in my gear after taking my kids there just prior to leaving. One day, John stood up and sang a song, completely from memory with no notes written down. It was John’s rendition of “A Hazy Shade of Winter,” which he had changed to “A Hazy Shade of Nerve Gas.” John had us all laughing in the face of such a possible terror. John got the coin that day and he minted one of my fondest memories out time together. Rest well, warrior. We’ll rally on the high ground.