Arthur Lawrence “Larry” Groo, formerly of Greenwich, CT, passed away peacefully on May 23, at age 89, at his Quail Ridge Country Club home in Boynton Beach, FL. He was born in Baltimore, MD, on August 7, 1932, to Arthur Lawrence Groo and Hazel Seixas Groo.
Larry would live a life of extraordinary richness. Along with his prowess in the investment field, he would pursue his interests in art collecting, music, theatre, and especially ballet, serving on the board of the American Ballet Theater in New York.
A standout tennis player, who for many years trained in hopes of winning the US senior grass court championships, he was also a lifelong body surfer, making frequent trips in his later years to premiere surfing sites like Biarritz, France. Along with his artistic and athletic pursuits, Larry was an avid and astute reader, particularly of English literature and poetry. His wide interests also spanned political subjects. For example, in the late 1970s, in the grip of the cold war, he edited a small journal on nuclear policy and proceeded to write an unpublished novel focused on the threat of a Soviet “first strike.”
Graduating from Ridgewood High School in New Jersey, he attended the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School. During those years Larry became a member of the Mask and Wig Club, an all-male musical comedy troupe that gave him many happy memories, including appearing on the Ed Sullivan TV show. His wit and clever wordplay were lifelong attributes that delighted all who knew him.
Following college, Larry served as an officer in the U.S. Navy for two years before attending Harvard Business School. After graduating, he joined Morgan Guaranty Trust, then moved on to Brown Brothers Harriman. After a brief stint with Scudder, Stevens & Clark, he started his own investment firm, Lawrence Groo & Co. on Madison Avenue in New York City. He was one of the first managers of a hedge fund, which was then a new investment concept on Wall Street.
While rooming with three Harvard classmates on East 83rd Street in Manhattan, Larry met a downstairs neighbor, Anne Wingfield Semmes, whom he married in 1959. He and his growing family spent weekends and summers in Quogue, Long Island, playing tennis at the Quogue Field Club, and body surfing at the Quogue Beach Club.
A step away into politics would develop a much-valued friendship with the late Senator John Heinz, son of H.J. Heinz, the Pittsburgh ketchup entrepreneur. The two served as assistant campaign managers for Pennsylvania Republican U.S. Senator Hugh Scott in his re-election campaign, with Larry covering eastern Pennsylvania and John western Pennsylvania; between them there was much sharing of the love of art, wine, and French cuisine.
Larry’s move with his family to Greenwich, CT in 1975 came from a growing unease with New York City life and desire for a year-round country life. In Greenwich, he and his family lived near the Field Club and the children’s schools, and he was a devoted congregant of Christ Episcopal Church. He and Anne Semmes divorced in 1980.
Larry spent his later years frequently traveling, either to visit his children and grandchildren or to his favorite destinations of Nantucket, Idaho’s Sun Valley, Italy, and England. Eventually he settled in Boynton Beach, FL, where even up to his death, he was rereading favorite works of literature like Homer’s “The Odyssey.”
Larry’s children and grandchildren were his greatest source of pride and joy. He is survived by his children, Heidi Groo of Boston, Melissa Groo (Matt Gelder) of Ithaca, NY, Elise Groo of Torrington, CT, and Lawrence Groo of Denver, CO (Natasha Kohne); three grandchildren, Ruby Gelder, Siena Groo, and Arthur Groo; and sister, Barbara Groo of Ithaca, NY.
There will be a private family ceremony honoring Larry in Quogue this summer. Those interested in making a charitable contribution in his name are welcome to do so with either the Salvation Army or Save the Children, charities he supported throughout his life.
