Grocee Hart

Grocee "Mighty Gro" Hart, 85, of Waterloo, stepped into eternity on Monday, December 26, 2022, at Martin Health Center of Western Home Communities in Cedar Falls. He was born on November 23, 1937, in Starkville, MS, the son of James Harris and Sadie Hart. Mighty Gro graduated from high school in Starkville and attended Mississippi State University for a while. He married Lillie Mae Harrington on April 8, 1968, at Antioch Baptist Church in Waterloo.

Mighty Gro worked as a tool grinder for John Deere where he retired July 1, 1997. To say he loved golf would be an understatement. Mighty Gro was a member of the Swingers Golf Club in Waterloo that created opportunities for minority golfers and taught young golfers the game. He was instrumental in forming the Zebra Golf Tournament, an integrated golf tournament that was held at various public courses in the city. He started Mighty Gro's Shootout, a friendly golf wagering club. Mighty Gro played golf almost every day during the summer and had done so for over seventy years. But it is hard to play golf in the winter, so Mighty Gro turned to bowling. A hobby that he embraced for over fifty years, he played in various tournaments and had a team, Gro's Army.

Mighty Gro was a social butterfly, sometimes to the dismay of Lillie. He loved to mentor teenagers and young adults about life's values. Mighty Gro enjoyed making chicken wings and pound cake. He was active in his son, Quentin's, various campaigns. Gro loved Lillie and his children and enjoyed his grandchildren. He was not happy until they would "give him some jaw." He served in the US Army during the Vietnam conflict.

Grocee is survived by his wife, Lillie, of Waterloo; sons Quentin (Cassandra) Hart of Waterloo and James (Portia) Lipsey of Jackson, TN; daughters Laura Lipsey of Waterloo and Veronica Jones of Omaha; eleven grandchildren; eleven great-grandchildren; sister Eula Hart of Starkville, MS; nephew Gary Hart, who Grocee raised in Waterloo; and other family and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, brother Joseph Hart and daughter Loretta Gillespie.

A Homegoing Celebration for Grocee will be Thursday, January 5, 2023, at Antioch Baptist Church, 426 Sumner St, Waterloo, at 11 AM with military honors to follow. Private burial will be at Garden of Memories Cemetery. The family will receive friends and a wake will be held at the church on Wednesday evening, January 4, 2023, from 5-7 PM. As a show of sympathy, memorials should be directed to the family. On-line condolences may be expressed at www.lockefuneralservices.com.