Barbara Lou Groner, nee Rice 1937 - 2021

Barbara Lou Groner, 84, of Newberg, Oregon, died Friday, November, 19, 2021, at Arbor Oaks Terrace Memory Care.

Born October 20, 1937, in Oregon City to Wilbur and Margaret Rice, she spent her earliest years in a cabin without running water or electricity, in the woods north of Idanha. Her father, Wilbur, and her two brothers, Dick and Gene, logged until saving enough money to relocate to Dallas and shortly thereafter to McMinnville, Oregon.

Barbara had a wonderfully happy childhood growing up in McMinnville. She always said it was “the perfect place to be a kid."

Barbara met and fell in love with Lincoln Cervantes Groner in Spanish class while attending McMinnville High School. They were married soon after her high school graduation. The newlyweds lived in Corvallis while Lincoln finished his electrical engineering degree; then, upon his graduation, relocated to Cleveland. Shortly thereafter, they returned to the Pacific Northwest. Lincoln’s employment took them to numerous Oregon locations, including Portland, Coos Bay, Beaverton, Eugene, West Linn and Tigard, as well as Kennewick, Washington.

They celebrated their 58th wedding anniversary shortly before Lincoln’s passing in 2013. After Lincoln’s death, Barbara once again returned to McMinnville.

Ms. Groner had several passions: she loved her friends, playing bridge, traveling and hosting holiday meals. She was an active member in all the churches she attended over the years, acting as treasurer at First Baptist Church in Coos Bay, and hosting mid-week youth dinners at Emerald Baptist Church in Eugene. She was also an active fundraiser for the Mid-Columbia Symphony for many years.

Barbara attended Bassist College, studying interior design, and later took literature classes at Portland State University. She was employed by US Bank as a teller in Portland, Coos Bay and Beaverton. Additionally, Barbara was a licensed real estate agent, working for Emerald Realty in Eugene. She was a superb homemaker who lived a long and rewarding life.

Surviving are her three children, David and Leah (Grotzinger), both of Portland, and Margaret (Lehman) of Indiana. She is survived by seven of her eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, December 11, at Evergreen Cemetery in McMinnville.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests any remembrances be made to the Alzheimer's Association using the Family Tribute link on its website, alz.org.
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