Ruben Sam Grooms

Ruben Sam Grooms, (84) of Summerville, a South Carolina Army Nation Guard and U.S. Air Force Veteran, Retired supervisor in the Calibration Laboratory of the Polaris Missile Facility, Atlantic (POMFLANT) and husband of Shari Grooms, passed away on Sunday, January, 22, 2023. Family and friends are invited to a visitation on Thursday, January 26, 2023 at 10 o’clock, at James A. Dyal Funeral Home. The funeral will be at 11am, Thursday, January 26, 2023 in the James A. Dyal Funeral Home Chapel. Interment will follow at the Summerville Cemetery. Flowers will be accepted. Mr. Grooms was born 28, July 1938 in the Dorchester County Hospital, Summerville, SC. The son of the late Sam Ruben Grooms and Florrie Bazzle Grooms. He enlisted in the U.S. Airforce at the age of 17 and served with the 433rd Fighter Interceptor Squadron known as “Satan’s Angels” for three years in Alaska and was there when the territory became the 49th state. He then engaged in the Cold War Atlas and Titan II I.C.B.M. missile site activation in six states across the USA and rose to the position of Electronic Supervisor at the age of 21 on the First Atlas Kansas to be turned over to the U.S.A.F. “Ready to Launch”. His technical background then led him to the Kennedy Space Center during the Gemini, Apollo and Skylab Space programs. He advanced to Launch Support Team Supervisor and had the opportunity to meet three of the seven original astronauts along with several others including three of “Apollo 13” Fame also and several dignitaries including President Johnson and General Westmoreland. Some of his highlights was the chance to sit in the Gemini 5 Spacecraft after its 8th day return to Earth. Another highlight was knowing that his right-hand print is still on the Moon under the Lunar Module Stanchion that Neil Armstrong climbed down during the “Apollo 11” lunar landing and moon walk. He returned to Summerville in 1973 and retired as a supervisor in the calibration laboratory from the Polaris Missile Facility Atlantic in 1993. He sometimes said his whole working career was about missiles and national defense. After retirement he designed and built his new home and continued his life-long hobby in guns. He is survived by his wife, Shari Lynn Dickinson Grooms; Daughters: Michelle Grooms of Fort Collins, CO; Jennifer Davis and husband Kevin of Summerville; Son, Kenneth Steve Grooms of Florida; Siblings: Jewell Bernard of Goose Creek, SC, Brother, Ben Grooms of St. Mary’s, GA; Six grandchildren and two great grandchildren. He was predeceased in death by his son, Ruben John Grooms and brother, Michael Grooms.

Ruben Sam Grooms

July 28, 1938 - January 22, 2023