Nancy LaRoche DeGroveNancy (Anna Leland) LaRoche DeGrove died November 8, 2016 at Westminster Oaks in Tallahassee. She was born on October 5, 1918 in Cocoa, Florida, the daughter of James B. LaRoche and Anna A. "Allie" Hughlett LaRoche and the granddaughter of Senator William L. Hughlett, the first mayor of Cocoa. Raised in Cocoa with her brother, James H. (Jim) LaRoche, she graduated from Cocoa High School in 1936. After graduation Nancy worked as a secretary for the Brevard County Schools and was later secretary to the manager of the Cocoa-Merritt Island Citrus Association. In 1940 she married Russell H. DeGrove, a civil engineer with the firm of Robert M. Angas of Jacksonville, and began a long residence in Jacksonville. She was widowed in 1964 and moved to Tallahassee in 1985.Nancy loved tennis and played in leagues in Jacksonville and Tallahassee. She was a talented artist, specializing in oil paintings of flowers. She was passionate about gardening and neighbors may remember her as a "constant gardener". She was a communicant at St. John's Episcopal Church and a life-long Democrat. Nancy is survived by her children, Bill DeGrove and Nan DeGrove, a daughter-in-law, Mary DeGrove, a son-in-law, Michael Stroh and four grandchildren- Russell DeGrove, Adam Mulford, Matt Mulford, and Rose Anna Wyatt. She leaves her niece, Gayle LaRoche Furlow, and nephews- Ronald L., James B, and Francis H. LaRoche. The funeral service will be at St John's Episcopal Church in Tallahassee on Friday, December 2 at 2pm. The burial will be in Oak Lawn Cemetery in Jacksonville.