Kristine, a Chillicothe native born in 1948, is the daughter of Charles and Wilma Roger McAlearney. She attended area grade schools and graduated from Chillicothe High in 1966. After graduation, she enrolled in the Methodist School of Nursing. Upon graduating from nursing school, her first job was for the Peoria County Health Department. During her nursing career she has also worked in a psychiatric ward, a nursing home, as a hospice nurse, and in Oncology, “I think I’ve seen it all,” she recounts.

In 1968, on New Year’s Eve, a friend invited her to go to the Officer’s Party where the Army Band was playing. She was introduced to a cute trumpet player that everyone called Ira, so Kris knew him as Ira. A few months later they met up again and dated a few times before he got shipped out to Virginia. While he was gone, they wrote letters back and forth every week until he was discharged from the service. They both knew at that time they had a special connection. He then went back to his hometown on Long Island. Once home “Ira” asked her to come visit him. After only a few dates he asked her to marry him. They both felt it was a match made in heaven, so she readily accepted and began making wedding plans. When Kris was making out the invitations she called him and asked what his full name was for the invitations. He replied, “Stephan James Groome.” Kris was flabbergasted! She was marrying someone and she didn’t even know his name! In 1971 they went back to Chillicothe and were married. In 1975 they added a daughter and only child, Heather, who was the spitting image of her father.

At the time they were attending Faith Missionary Church. They began hosting some missionaries from the church in their home. In 1982 when the church put out a call for new missionaries they became interested. Steve would have to go back to college to finish getting his degree and then he would have to go to seminary. So after much prayer, together they decided that’s what their mission would be—to love others and spread the gospel around the world. They moved to Indianapolis so Steve could attend Butler University, received a master’s degree in music, and a bachelor of divinity degree from Seminary. After Steve completed all his schooling they signed on to work for CEF (Child Evangelism Fellowship) and were sent to Switzerland for training. Their first assignment was in England where they lived and worked for 10 years setting up kid’s clubs and spreading the gospel to all they met.

Coming back from overseas they were sent to Florida and then to Brazil. Steve was doing such a great job for CEF, that they made him Regional Director, serving the USA, Canada, and the Caribbean. What an honor it was to serve and love the people in these areas of the world. They all loved Steve and called him; “PaPa.”

One of their first assignments in the Caribbean was in Belize. They arrived to find their accommodations in the back of an old dilapidated garage. There was a homemade wooden bunk bed with no mattress or pillows, and a toilet and small sink on the other side of the wall. Steve checked it out and told Kris when she went to the toilet to kick it first. She asked him why and he replied, “Just do it.”  So she did and out jumped a big rat! The next morning they informed their hosts of the incident and he replied, “Oh good, now when we find the Boa, we can feed it the rat!” Kris exclaimed, “What do you mean, FIND the Boa?!” Realizing they had better accommodations than the people they were ministering to they made do.

Kris and Steve were in many different countries in the Caribbean for about 10 years. Once Kris counted they had moved 35 times. In 2008 they retired, although still doing clerical work for CEF, and moved back to their home in Chillicothe.

A few years later, Kris looking to keep busy, began to volunteer at Helping Hands resale shop. Her good friend was the manager at that time and working 6 days a week, 10 hours a day. She needed a break! So, Kris and Steve stepped up to take over managing the shop on Saturdays, with the money they earned going to CEF.

In the coming years, Kris began to notice a change in Steve’s behavior that seemed to progress. In 2012 Steve was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s and Kris was devastated. She and her sister Cindy (both nurses) kept him home and took loving care of him as the insidious disease progressed. Their daughter, Heather, that lived in Montana, urged them to sell their house and move in with them so she and their granddaughter, Audra, could spend time with him. They did move to Montana and spent the time he had left with his family. Steve succumbed to Alzheimer’s a year and a half after the move.

After being in Montana for five years, Kris’s daughter was transferred to Texas, so Kris and her sister made the decision to move back to Chillicothe, the town they loved where they would be surrounded by family and friends.

Kris now attends Chillicothe Christian Church where she is part of the missions team, helping people here in the States and missionaries abroad. We thank Kris for her service to people everywhere. Her reward will be waiting for her along with her beloved Steve. She knows one day she will see her true love again and they will be united to walk the streets of gold together.