LYNCHBURG, Tenn. — For the third year running, the family of Eugene Groce is asking Moore County to show up at Woodard’s Market & Deli with an appetite and a generous spirit.
The Eugene Groce Memorial Scholarship Bake Sale takes place this Saturday, March 28, from 8 a.m. to noon at 1415 Fayetteville Highway in Lynchburg. All proceeds benefit scholarships awarded to a graduating senior from Moore County High School’s Class of 2026.
Eugene Groce spent 43 years working maintenance at Jack Daniel’s Distillery — a career he had every intention of returning to when a diagnosis of stage four brain cancer changed everything in the spring of 2024. He died three weeks after the diagnosis. He was planning his return to work from knee surgery when he got the news. Even after, his daughter, Tonya Groce Miller said, he was still determined he was going back.
“He loved his family,” Tonya said when asked what she’d want people to remember about her father. “He loved his family and he loved God.”
The scholarship grew out of that loss — started in the immediate aftermath of his death, when donations came in and the family decided to put them to use in his name. The original focus was students headed to vocational programs, a nod to the path Groce himself had taken before his four decades at the distillery. The eligibility has since been broadened to all graduating seniors.
This year carries particular weight. Groce’s granddaughter Kinsley Miller is a senior at MCHS — the first of his grandchildren he won’t see walk across the stage.
“It’s just a tender year,” his daughter said quietly.
Previous year’s bake sale brought in over $5,000 in a single four-hour stretch. It’s a number that might surprise some when they hear it but few in Lynchburg would pause. That’s what we do in Moore County. We show up for each other — especially those trying to turn tragedy into something bigger.
More than 31 bakers have donated goods for Saturday’s event, with cakes, pies, cookies, cupcakes, and brownies all on the table. Cash donations are welcome for those who’d rather give than buy, though buying is encouraged.
The event runs 8 a.m. to noon. Woodard’s Market & Deli is located at 1415 Fayetteville Highway, Lynchburg. •
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