Peebles man remembered for lifelong school spirit, Adams Rural Electric service

Milton Dale Grooms built a life that passed through Peebles schools, Adams Rural Electric and the farm traditions that still shape Adams County. The 1955 Peebles High School graduate died Sunday, May 10, 2026, at the Hospice of Hope Ohio Valley Inpatient Center in Seaman, leaving behind a story rooted as much in community as in family.

Grooms was born Sept. 10, 1936, in Peebles, the oldest child of Virgil and Gladys Young Grooms. He was remembered for a school loyalty that never faded: he attended every Peebles High School alumni banquet after graduation, and by 2018 he was marking his 63rd consecutive alumni celebration. He later celebrated his 70th class reunion, a run that made him one of the most familiar faces tied to the school.

His working life also stayed close to home. After retiring from Adams Rural Electric, Grooms served on the REA Board of Trustees, a role that carried local weight in a cooperative governed by nine members elected by cooperative members and serving parts of five counties. For Adams County families, that meant his name was tied not just to service lines and power bills, but to the decisions that helped steer a regional utility.

Music and horses gave another shape to his public life. His grandfather taught him fiddle as a boy, and Grooms went on to play for square dances, church gatherings and special events. He also recorded two CDs. With Glenna Roush Grooms, his wife of more than 60 years, he built a farm life that became Grooms Glen Dale Park, the site of the Draft Horse, Mule and Pony Field Days. A 2022 notice said the 21st event was set for Oct. 1 and 2 at 2915 Fawcett Road, six miles south of Peebles, on a 20-acre site the couple dedicated. A 2017 account said the park also included four acres of parking.

Grooms’ civic life reached across Peebles and the county through the Peebles Church of Christ, the Mason fraternity, 4-H, the Senior Fair Board, the Grange, the Adams County Historical Society, the Peebles Lions Club, the Adams County Democrat Club and service as a Meigs Township trustee. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, brothers James and Jerry Grooms and a great-grandson. He is survived by two children, seven grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, a brother, brother-in-law Gary Roush and his wife Susan, brother-in-law Dale Roush and his wife Jean, sister-in-law Donna Cole and her husband Dean, along with several nieces and nephews. His final days were spent at a care center on the second floor of Adams County Regional Medical Center, at Moore’s Road and State Route 32 in Seaman, closing a life woven deeply into the county’s daily history.