Capt. Ward W. de Groot III, CEC, USN (retired) of Arlington, Virginia, died March 8, 2022. He was born Oct. 17, 1929, in the neighborhood of Hollis in Queens, New York, to Ward and Mary (Moir) de Groot. During World War II, the family moved to Tinton Falls. Ward attended Red Bank High School and graduated in 1946.
Ward was a civil engineering student at Rutgers University prior to entering the U.S. Naval Academy where he graduated with distinction in the Class of 1951. In 1953 he transferred from surface line to the Civil Engineer Corps and earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York.
Ward served at Camp Pendleton, at the Naval Academy, and on the staff of Commander Naval Air Bases Japan before reporting to OPNAV in 1962. From 1963 to 1964, he was personal aide to the DCNO for Logistics. He graduated from the Armed Forces Staff College in January 1965. In March 1966 he assumed command of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 58, a new Seabee battalion being commissioned for service in Vietnam.
Relieved in June 1968, he earned a master’s degree in business administration at The University of Rochester. He then served in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Systems Analysis) for two years. In December 1971, he became the deputy director of the DON Program Information Center. From June 1973 until May 1976, he commanded both the Naval Construction Battalion Center and the 20th Naval Construction Regiment in Gulfport, Mississippi. From June 1976 until he retired in September 1978, he was commanding officer of the Northern Division of the Naval Facilities Engineering Command. His personal decorations include two awards of the Legion of Merit, two awards of the Bronze Star with Combat V, and the Meritorious Service Medal.
In October 1978 he joined the staff of Navy Federal Credit Union, the world’s largest credit union. In October 1980 he was promoted to the position of executive vice president, from which he retired July 1, 1997.
Ward was a registered professional engineer and served on the board of trustees of the CEC/Seabee Historical Foundation. He also was a member of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Arlington, the Arlington Rotary Club, and the Washington Golf and Country Club.
Ward was a gentleman; a gentle man who loved history, geography, travel and his azalea gardens. But mostly, he loved people – he loved life!
Ward married the former Claire Kendrick Sindlinger of Colts Neck, a graduate of Mary Washington College, in 1952. He is survived by Claire and their four children, Robin K. de Groot, Dana D. (Tom) Grobicki, Douglas S. (Kathryn) De Groot, and Gretchen D. (Webb Cook) Walden, 12 grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren, and his brother Kenneth E. De Groot of Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, June 29 at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 4250 N. Glebe Road, Arlington, Virginia. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the charity of your choice.
The article originally appeared in the June 16 – 22, 2022 print edition of The Two River Times.
