THEODORE GROOM

1934 - 2021

GROOM Theodore Richard Groom Theodore Richard Groom of Arlington, VA passed away on Friday, November 26, 2021 at home. Ted was born in Wichita, Kansas in 1934, and was a resident of Arlington, VA for over 70 years. Ted graduated from Bucknell University in 1956, and he earned his law degree at Harvard in 1960. In 1975, Ted co-founded Groom and Nordberg, which evolved to become Groom Law Group, Chartered, the nation's foremost benefits, retirement and healthcare law firm. Prior to founding the firm, Ted had clerked for the Chief Judge for United States District Court of Maryland and worked as a tax lawyer at the Washington, DC firm, Hedrick & Lane. Ted practiced law at Groom Law Group firm for 45 years, the major portion of his nearly 60 year career. Ted either founded or was actively engaged in each of the firm's practice areas, including corporate, insurance, and financial product tax issues. Notably, he was instrumental in the development of Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 ("ERISA"), particularly its landmark fiduciary responsibility provisions. He received many accolades in his legal career, including The Best Lawyers in America (1991-2017, 2020-2021), Super Lawyers (2007-2015, 2018), Lawyer of the Year by The Best Lawyers in America (2011), Human Resources Executive Magazine - 100 Most Powerful Employment Attorneys in America (2009 - 2013) and Hall of Fame, Washingtonian - Best Lawyers in DC. He was known for his integrity, his creative approach to legal issues, his tireless advocacy on behalf of his clients, his sense of humor, and his mentorship of other lawyers at the firm. Ted was an adventurer - surviving polio as a boy, hitchhiking from Arlington to Kansas as a teenager, playing college basketball, flying (and crashing) his own airplane, and biking from Washington, DC to Charlottesville. He was an avid golfer, known as much for cheering others on after a good shot as he was for his own golf game. He was a wonderful writer, having written Op-Eds and haikus in the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal and a children's book, Johnny Brownpants, loosely based on adventures he had as a boy. He is survived by his wife of 34 years, Beverly Bennett Groom; three children, Cathy Kleeman and husband Jim, John Groom, Caroline Roche and husband John; his beloved Grandchildren; and his sister Audrey G. Ward. He was preceded in death by his son Theodore W. Groom, his parents, J. Fuller and Carrie L. Groom; his brother Robert L. Groom; his sister Carol C. Groom; and his former wife Virginia Groom. A funeral will be held at Walker Chapel United Methodist Church, 4102 N. Glebe Road, Arlington, at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, December 3, 2021 with a reception to follow at Washington Golf and Country Club.A funeral will be held at Walker Chapel United Methodist Church, 4102 N. Glebe Road, Arlington, at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, December 3, 2021 with a reception to follow at Washington Golf and Country Club.