Lee Paul Groth Jr.

Lee Paul Groth Jr. -- May 15, 1923 to Sept. 10, 2017 -- was the eldest son of Lee and Isabelle Groth and bother to Ralph Groth, Delores Hall, Evelyn Riley and Mel Groth, all deceased. Lee's son, Lee P. Groth III, resides in Seattle.

Born and raised in St. Louis, Lee served in World War II and after moved to Miami with his wife, Ruth, where he lived for some 60 years. Lee relocated to Cape Girardeau in 2002 to enjoy the good company (and cooking) of his sister Evelyn Riley.

Lee spent most of the past five years as a resident of Chateau Girardeau, with his final days as a resident of the Missouri Veterans Home. The professional care at both facilities was unwavering and of the very highest caliber. His family and friends have the utmost respect and gratitude for all those who attended him with respect and compassion.

Lee was strong-minded; a nonconformist -- one of a kind. As boy in the city of St. Louis, he had a pet chicken named Giggles. Lee was short, muscular, combative and possessed remarkable willpower. As a teen, he regularly fought one-on-one against the corresponding shortest member of opposing juvenile gangs to determine territory seniority. After years of smoking, Lee read the warning label on a pack, decided to never smoke again, and instantly stopped. He won Golden Gloves for boxing. He often was able to turn defeat into victory through sudden, outstanding performance. Often, when his bowling team started to falter, Lee's score would dramatically rise above his average. In the Everglades, Lee once decapitated a snake many yards away by throwing a small stone at its head.

For 30 years, Lee was a volunteer usher at the Orange Bowl, assigned to the 50-yard line, and thus met several U.S. presidents. He was an avid botanist, specializing in bromeliads and orchids, and his Miami backyard was a tropical paradise. His second wife Maria's family was from Spain, and for years the couple would spend two and three months on a mountaintop family farm near Lugo, Spain. (His love of the outdoors was forever memorialized when, on his 92nd birthday, family and friends gathered in the garden at Cup 'n' Cork for the unveiling of an original statue titled "Lee's Orchid #92".)

As he neared the end of his life, Lee's few possessions included a framed flag of Japan. The flag had been folded and tucked into the belt of the first Japanese soldier Lee killed in battle. Initially, the flag was something of badge of honor, but as time passed, Lee kept it close as a reminder of the horrors of war -- and of the precious nature of life. He never lost sight of the fact the young man's life ended on the island of Saipan, while Lee lived another 75 years surrounded by and steeped in the rich blessings of family and freedom.

Throughout his life, Lee had an authentic love for all manner of people. Over the years, his friends were of all races, creeds and cultures. In his last years, Lee repeatedly remarked on how he had lived a life filled with remarkable variety and richness of experience. No regrets, only enthusiasms.

Friends are invited to pay final respects during a memorial reception to be held from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Saturday in the chapel at the Missouri Veterans Home. Lee will be buried with military honors Sept. 25 at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery.

Online condolences may be shared at www.fordandsonsfuneralhome.com.

Ford and Sons Funeral Home is handling arrangements.