Vera Mae "Vee Groos" Groos

Vera Mae (Vee) Bettison Groos (88) of Plano, TX (formerly of LaPorte, TX) passed from this life to the next on June 6, 2013. She was born to Rufus and Nellie Bettison in Houston in 1924,and moved to Galveston when she was a child. Vee graduated from Ball High School before enrolling in Southwestern University and transferring to the University of Texas where she was a member of Zeta Tau Alpha sorority and nominated for UT Sweetheart. She married Gaston (Gus) Groos, Jr. and raised a family of four children - Rusty, David, Richard and Julie. Over the years, they lived in Fort Smith, Waco, Tyler, Austin, Marshall and Galveston, where Vee belonged to various Ladies Associations, and established UT alumni groups in Waco, Tyler and Marshall. In 1964, Gaston built his first Ben Franklin variety store in LaPorte with stores in Pasadena and Hitchcock to follow. Vee also taught piano lessons and ultimately taught dozens of youngsters to play. When Gaston was taken by ALS in 1988, Vee sold the stores and began a new career at LaPorte State Bank. She founded the Centennial Club and organized trips for their customers to local events and to travel the world including Alaska, Europe, Canada, China, Australia, New Zealand, South America and all corners of the United States. Vee was active in the Shoreline Art League, the LaPorte-Bayshore Chamber of Commerce, the Houston Yacht Club Ladies Association, ZTA Alumni, Clear Lake Area Panhellenic, Library Board, Neighborhood Centers, Garden Club, Historical Society, First United Methodist Church of LaPorte, and the Ladies Reading Club of LaPorte. She moved to Plano in 2009. A memorial service will be held at 2pm, Monday, June 10, 2013, at the First United Methodist Church of LaPorte, 9601 W. Fairmont Parkway, LaPorte, TX. A reception for family and friends follows. In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to support the literacy efforts of the Ladies Reading Club of LaPorte c/o Carol Hollister, Treasurer, 206 Bay Colony Drive, LaPorte, TX77571, or memorial donations may be made to the First United Methodist Church of LaPorte, 9601 W. Fairmont Parkway, LaPorte, TX 77571.