Jacob “Dutch” Groothof, 93, of Colorado Springs, CO passed away on Thursday, February 5th. He was born on Sept. 30, 1932 in The Hague, Netherlands to Jacob Groothof and Pietertje Cornelia van de Kamp. On 1 May 1951 Jacob, then 18, emigrated with his parents from Holland to the United States of America. On 15 May 1955 Jacob enlisted in the US Army, retiring on 31 Dec. 1975 as a Master Sergeant having served two tours of duty in Korea, one tour in Vietnam and two tours of duty in Germany. He was awarded the Good Conduct Medal, 1st through 5th awards, National Defense Service Medal; Vietnam Service Medal with 2 Bronze Service Stars; Vietnam Campaign Medal: Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Palm; Meritorious Unit Citation; Army Commendation Medal with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster; Meritorious Service Medal. After retiring from the Army, he was employed by Mountain Bell and AT&T as a Service Manager, and Civil Service employee with the Fort Carson Transportation Office as a Transportation Assistant.
He is survived by his loving wife Sharon Lee Jarvis, two daughters Elisabeth Groothof Croddy of Colorado Springs, Patricia Ann Ford of Meridian, Idaho, one son, Shane Jacob Groothof of Colorado Springs, daughter-in-law Pabla Cecilia Vallejos Ybarra, son-in-law Michael Croddy, three grandsons, David James Ford, Keith Michael Croddy, Byron Jacob Groothof, and one granddaughter Cecilia Lenore Groothof. He was pre-deceased by one daughter, Michelle Marlene Groothof of Meridian, Idaho.
A memorial service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, February 17th, at the Shrine of Remembrance “America the Beautiful” Chapel.
The Buckley SFB military Retiree Activities Office (RAO) would like to offer our sincere condolences and our gratitude for MSG Groothof’s service to our country in the Army. If you would like help with any matters related to casualty assistance, Defense Finance & Accounting Service, Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP), Veterans Affairs (VA), etc. you can contact our office on Buckley SFB at 720-847-6693 or raobuckley@gmail.com. The RAO is staffed by volunteers, all military retirees themselves, and our sole purpose is to provide assistance to any military retirees and surviving spouses/family members with anything related to their military service and/or benefits, in particular during difficult times such as this. We are deeply sorry for your loss.
Steve Young
Lt Col, USAF, Ret
Director, Buckley SFB RAO
My sincere condolences to all the family!
Dank je wel, lieve Ed!
Thank you, everyone, for joining me in remembering my father, Jacob Groothof. My name is Liz and I am the eldest of his four children – three girls and one boy, to be followed by three grandsons and one granddaughter – a perfect balance. Dad always prided himself as being balanced, and in his life he achieved that – balancing bravery in active duty with tenderness as a husband, father, and Opa; balancing a fierce patriotism for his beloved adopted country with pride in being a Dutchman; balancing athletic feats as a soccer player in his youth with graceful glides and twirls on his beloved dance floor.
Some of you may believe that Dad’s favorite sports were soccer and football, but I happen to believe it was dance. Dad, if nothing else, was a true romantic at heart, and we, the women in his life, his wife Sharon, his daughters Tricia, Michelle, and I, and his daughter-in-law Ceci – we were all his dance partners at some point. I remember first learning to dance as a little girl, with my feet perched on top of his, twirling around to a waltz.
Yes, Dad was a true romantic in every way, watching over and over romantic epics such as The Thornbirds, featuring the tragic Maggie, and Yellowstone, featuring the wicked Beth, and he fell head over heels for Evita, the first lady of Argentina, played by Madonna, never imagining, surely, that one day he would have an Argentine daughter-in-law – in fact, when we went to Argentina for Shane and Ceci’s wedding, he stood in front of Evita Perón’s grave and saluted her. And, of course, he danced.
Dad was also a poet. He wrote many poems over the years, even published a few, and he was a good writer, too. One of the greatest privileges I have ever had in my life was to help him compile his autobiography, where we and his heirs can read about his early life in Holland, his parents’ ice cream shop, their surviving World War II, their immigrating to the US after World War II, his adventures on the high seas, his Army experiences, including in Vietnam, the birth of all his children, and all of his many loves and passions, and in which he quotes Willie Nelson: “To all the girls I’ve loved before.”
He loved us girls, and he loved the sea. In fact, he writes, of his daughters: “I am surprised none of my daughters became seafaring women. Many times I walked the floor with a daughter in my arms, singing Dutch seaman’s songs if they couldn’t sleep… most of them are sad ones, like a ship going down with men and rats on board. Or one pretty one: on a seaman’s grave are never red roses. All the songs always were to the tune of a waltz.” Yes, Dad was a brave Army soldier, but in his heart was the tune of the waltz and the soul of a seaman, for he was a sailor before he became a soldier; a sailor, the profession of his own father and grandfather, both Jacob Groothofs, a line of Jacob Groothofs that goes back to the 1600’s and continues to this day in Shane Jacob and his son, with more in the Netherlands. And we are so blessed that he made it to 93 years of age – he lived to see his first granddaughter born – the first girl in our American part of the family in over 60 years. Balance. Destiny. And a bit of romance at the close of his life.
Before I forget, I must not fail to mention he had a 4th daughter, not related to him by blood or by marriage. Her name is Marcela, and she was an exchange student who lived in my dormroom at CC while I spent a year in Quito with her family. I will have her entire letter published at his obituary site, but I wanted to share a few lines from Marcela with you. It’s lonely being an exchange student, leaving for the first time your home and your culture, as indeed my dad did when he came here at the age of 18, and my father was there for her. To him she writes, “thank you for everything you were to me back in 1977. I will always remember your infinite kindness and the affection with which you welcomed me into your home, together with my little sisters (Tricia and Michelle). I remember how you would pick me up from the college on Friday afternoons… you were always attentive to me, like a true father, always with that strong, upright, and kind presence. I will never forget you.”
You never know the infinite ripples one life leaves, like the wakes behind that old seaman’s boat, or the hint of a waltz in the air. He touched many lives, more than he knew, and my husband Michael noted the other day that he was Michael’s dad for longer than his own dad was. He lived a long, rich life and for that we are grateful.
For his beloved wife Sharon, he wrote several poems, and this one is my favorite:
My Darling Wife
Old and tired, the energy is gone,
a life slowly slipping away.
Yet one more verse before I’m done,
four last lines I have to say.
No doubt in an old soldier’s mind,
that I have a very special wife.
Loving, caring, so very kind,
she is a treasure, she is my life.
At my home we gathered to toast my father: his last bottle of his beloved French brandy. In fact, a shot of brandy was Dutch’s remedy for everything, and, according to him, the secret of his long and healthy life!
Thank you again for visiting this site to remember our father with us. We loved him very much. When we think of the sea or hear a waltz (or a tango) being played, we shall remember his twinkling blue eyes and his romantic, playful soul, and I hope you will, too.