Grover Cleveland Outland, Jr., 91, retired trial attorney, citizen-soldier, and lifelong resident of Tidewater, passed away peacefully in Onanco*ck, VA on May 23, 2019. He was the fourth child and only son of Lida Anne Maddox Outland of Snow Hill, MD and Grover C. Outland, Sr., of Isle of Wight County, VA. Grover Jr. was born in South Norfolk and grew up in the Berkley and Larchmont sections of the city. A 1945 graduate of Maury High School, Grover was president of his class and a member of the varsity football team. Then he entered the Virginia Military Institute, which was still accelerating officer training for war-time duty overseas, and graduated from VMI in January 1949 (Class of ‘49B) with a bachelor’s degree in English and a US Army reserve commission. He then entered law school at neighboring Washington and Lee University where he subsequently earned his law degree and passed the Virginia bar. Upon graduation from law school, Grover was immediately called to active duty as a Field Artillery lieutenant in the US Army. The Korean War had broken out while he was in law school.After completing his active duty commitment, Grover was preparing to open his law office in Norfolk just down the hall from his father’s insurance office. Nevertheless, at the request of his unit’s senior non-commissioned officers, Grover volunteered to deploy to the combat zone as the executive officer of C Battery, 235th Field Artillery Observation Battalion (5th Field Artillery Group) which had just received orders to Korea. He always said his NCOs’ stated faith in his ability to minimize the loss of soldiers’ lives (while accomplishing the mission) was the highest honor he ever received during his life. The pre-deployment photo of his battery at Ft. Sill was always prominently displayed in Grover’s home. For service in the Korean War, Grover was awarded the Bronze Star Medal, the Korean Defense Medal (with two service stars), the United Nations Korean Medal, and the Republic of Korea (ROK) Korean War Medal. His battery’s artillery observation and counter-fire missions were conducted in what is now North and South Korea and helped earn its parent unit a U.S. Meritorious Unit Commendation as well as two ROK Presidential Unit Citations. Post-war, Grover was promoted to Captain and continued to serve in the Virginia Army National Guard (29th Infantry Division) until his Honorable Discharge in 1961.Shortly after returning home, Grover met the love of his life, Norfolk native Margaret M. “Teancy†Matthews. Following several “campaigns†by Grover, they were married in October 1956, a happy union that lasted for more than 61 years until Teancy’s sudden, unexpected passing. They shared so much in common with each other and with their children and grandchildren, including a love of the outdoors, especially the Eastern Shore and Chesapeake Bay as well as boating, crabbing, fishing, and hunting.In 1953, Grover opened his law office on Main Street in downtown Norfolk before later forming a law partnership with George H. Gray under the firm name of Outland and Gray. By 1977, the law firm, then called Outland, Gray, O’Keefe and Hubbard, had its own office building in the City of Chesapeake and continued handling a variety of transactional and litigation matters including successful appeals to the Virginia Supreme Court. After retiring in 2005, Grover continued pursuing his passions for duck hunting and fishing and was noted for the flounder and duck dinners he prepared. Also of note were tall tales of the “ones that got away,†a reverence for well-trained Labrador retrievers, and an incomparable sense of humor. Grover served as president of the following organizations: the Norfolk-Portsmouth Chapter of the VMI Alumni Association, the Tidewater Chapter of the Washington and Lee Alumni, the Norfolk YMCA Board of Directors, the Norfolk Council on Alcoholism, the Pyramid Club, and the Folly Creek Corporation. He was also a member of: The Norfolk and Chesapeake Rotary Clubs (Paul Harris Fellow), the Norfolk Wetlands Board, the American Legion Lynch-Anchorage Post 35 (honored in 2016 for his 60 years of faithful membership), the Norfolk Yacht & Country Club, the Norfolk German Club, and the Tidewater Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution. Grover was also an active member of the Church of the Good Shepherd having served as a lay reader, choir member, Vestryman and Senior Warden. Grover had a special love for the Virginia Military Institute. He was appointed to the VMI Board of Visitors by the Governor of Virginia and also served on the Alumni Association’s Board of Directors, culminating in his election as President of the Association while his sons were both cadets. In honor of his service to the Institute, Grover received the VMI Foundation’s Distinguished Service Award, a rare honor that accorded him the privilege of addressing the Corps of Cadets. Survivors include his sons Grover C. III (Melissa), James M. (Jodi), and daughter Elizabeth O. Branner (Wade) and eight grandchildren: Madeline Outland (of San Francisco), Lydia & Emily Outland of the Annapolis area; Matthew, Benjamin & Mark Outland of Cape Charles, Virginia; and Harrison & Margaret Branner of Lexington, Virginia, together with numerous nieces and nephews. Grover is also survived by his sister Nancy O. Chandler of Norfolk. He was predeceased by his parents, his sisters Louise O. Smith and Jean O. Chrysler, their husbands Col. (USMC Ret.) John L. Smith, Sr., and Walter P. Chrysler, Jr., and his sister Nancy’s husband Webster M. Chandler, Jr. VMI ‘46.In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to the VMI Foundation and the Washington and Lee University School of Law. A Celebration of Life will be held on Friday June 14th at 10:30 AM at the Church of the Good Shepherd, 7400 Hampton Boulevard, Norfolk, VA 23505. H.D. Oliver Funeral Apts. Norfolk Chapel is handling arrangements and online condolences may be offered to the family at hdoliver.com.
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