Obituary of Charles O. Groom

Charles Groom was a Magic Man. Born on July 14, 1952, to Don and Verle Groom, Charles—or Charlie, as those close to him knew him—spent his youth in Atlanta, Kansas, learning and loving the activities that would eventually shape the man Charlie’s friends and family would come to know and love. Charlie was a fisherman, a hunter, a singer and a whittler. He was an Eagle Scout in his youth and an inspiration to future generations of Boy Scouts during his time as a Boy Scout leader. He was an alumni of OSU, where he was a member of the chess team, and often enjoyed a heated and wholesome game of Monopoly around the holidays with his children and grandchildren. He was a magician and a performer; he loved performing his magic onstage and his charms on those around him. He was a blacksmith and a carpenter, a son and a brother, a husband and a father, a grandfather and a friend, and a devoted follower of Jesus Christ. Charlie Groom, the wild boy of Atlanta, Kansas, the Magic Man of Skiatook, Oklahoma, found himself charmed into marriage, during which time he was blessed with his two sons and the joys of his life, Don and Taran. Charlie was also blessed with dancing feet, and it was because of this gift (along with a rhythm in his bones, a twinkle in his eye, and a plan from the Lord) that he found himself dancing alongside the woman that would become his generous and devoted current wife, Gerry Lynn Groom. Two families became one on November 18, 2011, when they married and Gerry brought three children into Charlie’s universe: Jenny, Brian, and Curtis. Their marriage was full of dance and everyone loved them. Charlie Groom, husband of Gerry, father of five, knew how to make sparks fly. He worked at Mac’s Electric for over 50 years and was a member of the Saltfork Craftsmen Artist-Blacksmith Association; his time in both places resulted in numerous friendships. He was a devoted member of his church, where his laughter rang in the words of the Bible during Sunday school, and where his booming voice rose in prayer, always distinguishable above the murmur of the congregation every Sunday. He was the jocular, smiling grandfather who always knew how to pull a laugh from his 9 grandchildren: Spencer, Brendan, Daniel, Ava, Brady, Nellie, Lilli, Shyan, and Riley. He was the tender hands and bouncing knee to one great-grandchild, Leo, the booming uncle full of jokes and magic tricks to many nieces and nephews. He was an unshakable, unmistakable character in the lives of his family; he could not cross silently through a room without his presence being known. Charlie Groom, a man full of laughter and magic, left this earth on August 29, 2021, at the age of 69 to be with the Lord. He is reunited in Heaven with his father, Don Groom, and his brothers, Don Eugene Groom, Steve Groom, and Robbie Groom. His surviving family members—his mother, Verle Groom; his two sisters, Cindy Sellers and Sandra Bass; his brother, Clifford Groom, and Clifford’s wife, Louise; and his devoted wife, Gerry—wait patiently for their reunion in the house of the Lord. Charles Groom, a Magic Man, full of laughter and charm and a personality that could fill every inch of a room, will be dearly missed, never forgotten, and always remembered. Even on the darkest of days, when rain batters the earth and thunder rumbles through the air, those who knew him best may think of him even then and hear not the sound of thunder, but the sound of dancing shoes pounding out sweet rhythms on the floors of Heaven. The funeral was be held on Saturday, September 4, 2021, at 10:30 AM at Green Hill Funeral Home. 9901 North Owasso, 74055. The family of Charles Groom is requiring the wearing of masks for everyone who is attending his visitation and funeral service. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to biomedical research at Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF), 825 N. E. 13th, Oklahoma City, OK 73104 or online at: gift.omrf.org. “Fear thou not: for I am with thee; be not dismayed; for I am thou God; I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” Isaiah 41:10