Emily Frances Groeger
Emily Frances Groeger was welcomed into God’s Kingdom on September 10, 2022. Emily was a resident of Woodland Park and was blessed with 14 children and lived to the age of 101.
Emily was born in North Platte, Nebraska on June 24, 1921 to Swiss immigrants, Ernst and Fanny (Dubs) Schmid. When Emily was one year old, the family moved to Humphrey, Nebraska, where her parents opened a bakery. The parents, Emily and her brother Richard grew up in the living quarters above the bakery. In time, the family moved to a larger house where two sisters, Louise and Stella were born. Two younger sisters died in infancy.
Emily had a typical mid-western small-town childhood. She told many stories of a loving, safe community. As she grew older, she worked in the bakery where she waited on customers, served the lunch room guests and worked along with her dad in the bake shop. She said that it wasn’t all work. They had fun times too. They loved to roller skate- not in a rink, but on the sidewalks of town. Swimming was another thing they did whenever they could. Her best friend had a pony and cart. With a picnic basket and swimming things, they would ride down to the park and pool.
Emily graduated as Humphrey High valedictorian in 1938. There were six girls and one boy in her graduating class. After high school, Emily enrolled in a one-year secretarial course at Midland College in Fremont, Nebraska. Upon completion of the secretarial course, she went back to work in the family business in the spring of 1939.
In 1941, Emily accepted a civil service position as a clerk typist for the War Department in Washington, DC. The term was for the duration of an emergency. The emergency was World War II. From there, Emily was sent to San Francisco where she worked for the Department of Agriculture supervising the set-up of filing systems. On August 15, 1945 the good news was heard everywhere. Japan had surrendered and the war was over.
While Emily worked in Washington, she met Raymond Groeger, a Master Sergeant in the army who served in North Africa and Europe during the war. He was raised on a farm in Peetz, Colorado. Raymond’s cousin was Emily’s roommate in Washington and was also from Humphrey. Raymond and Emily were married in Peetz on December 29, 1945.
Emily and Raymond moved to Denver where Raymond attended medical school. There they started to raise a family. Four kids were born in Denver. After Raymond graduated, they moved to Yankton, South Dakota where Raymond served his residency. In searching for a good place to settle down, the couple looked at Woodland Park, Colorado. However, Woodland was a small
Emily Frances Groeger
town and they were told that it would be difficult for a physician with five children to survive financially even though they had advertised for a full-time general practitioner. So, they ended up in Sterling, Colorado, where the rest of a family of 14 children were born. Emily was a member of Beta Sigma Phi, a Cub Scout den mother and was active in church organizations.
In the early 1960’s, Raymond pursued a specialty in allergy medicine. The family moved to Waco, Texas, where Raymond took over an existing medical practice.
Emily was a busy homemaker, raising 14 kids. Again, she was active in the community. With limited time, she was involved in the PTA and church organizations.
In 1976, Emily and Raymond, decided to return to Colorado to start a medical practice in Woodland Park. At that time, only 4 kids remained at home. Emily had more time to be active in the community. She was a member of the Lion’s Club and church committees.
When the last of the kids left the house, Emily and Raymond began to enjoy retirement. They loved to travel, visiting most of the U.S. and several foreign countries.
Raymond passed away in 1991. Emily continued to be active in several clubs, including the Lion’s Clubs, a social club, the Camper’s Club and served on the library board.
In her declining years, Emily enjoyed being surrounded by her family, even though she was struggling with health issues. She enjoyed playing computer games, until her vision made that difficult. She loved to play Rummi Kub which helped keep her mind sharp. She played that game until the end and she was hard to beat!
Emily Frances Groeger will leave a lasting mark in the lives of so many people. She was always a mother before anything else- worrying over everyone else’s needs before her own. She is survived by 14 children, grand-children, great-grandchildren, 2 sisters and many nieces and nephews.