Darwin Homer Groninger was born in Old Port, Turbett Township, on February 22, 1913 and passed away January 19, 1982. He was the son of William Allen and Sarah Bertha (McMeen) Groninger and was the youngest of their four children including Elizabeth Matilda (McCachren), Charlotte B. (Henry), and Benjamin Edward.
He attended Port Royal High School and was active in baseball and basketball. “Peck” coached the Walker Township “Hornets,” a girl’s league softball team established by the government during WWII.
In March 1936, Darwin married Carolyn Trucks who was from Birmingham, Alabama. They had four children: Kay Elizabeth (Sauvageot), Dorothy Eileen (Primavera), James Darwin and Donald Murray, and 9 grandchildren.
In 1940, Darwin accepted a position as a machinist at the Glenn L. Martin Company, an aircraft manufacturer in Middle River, Maryland. Once he found housing in that area, his family joined him in 1941. In the late 1940’s he joined Crown, Cork and Seal Corp. as supervisor of their machine shop.
A few years after he retired he returned to Pennsylvania and resided in Mifflintown. He was a member of the Port Royal Lions Club, Loyal Order of Moose No. 925 of Millerstown, and the Juniata County Sportsmen’s Assn. Always an avid hunter, Darwin also enjoyed fishing, swimming and ice skating. Other hobbies included oil painting and reading; especially books about history, the classics, poetry and Zane Gray novels.
Contributed by bob_prima333 on 7/4/12 - Image Year: 1970
BROTHERS: Darwin "PECK" and Benjamin Groninger
Contributed by ray on 2/24/17 - Image Year: 1975
REMEMBERING BASEBALL DAYS: DARWIN "PECK" and BEN GRONINGER re-creating an old baseball pose in the backyard. (Photo submitted by Randy Groninger)
Contributed by rkohler3 on 12/19/19 - Image Year: 1979
BROTHERS - Ben and Darwin "Peck" on the steps of the Academy in Academia...July 1979.
Contributed by rkohler3 on 7/21/12 - Image Year: 1924
OLD PORT STUDENTS: Students and Teacher Warren M. Kohler at Old Port School in 1924. The boy in the second row with a hand on his shoulder is Darwin Groninger. (If anyone can identify other persons in this photo, please forward the names to Ray Kohler at rkohler3@comcast.net.)
Contributed by bob_prima333 on 7/4/12 - Image Year: 1968
DARWIN GRONINGER'S FOUR CHILDREN - Don, Jim, Kay and Dottie.
Contributed by ranjude on 12/18/19 - Image Year: 2019
Darwin's daughter Kay and Darwin's son Don. Photo by Kay's daughter-in-law Wendy.
Contributed by ranjude on 12/18/19 - Image Year: 1966
Darwin's daughter Kay and her husband Bob Sauvageot at their wedding in 1966.
Contributed by ranjude on 12/18/19 - Image Year: 2019
Kay's cousin Ruthie Mumah, and Darwin's daughter Kay. (Photo by Kay's daughter-in-law Wendy)
