Posted on 03/04/2020
Joseph Lee Grier May 22, 1928 February 10, 2020 Growing up in a small town in South Carolina, Joe always knew he wanted to explore the world outside of Chester, especially after attending a lecture by Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd; their paths would cross again. Joe was the happy, outgoing, engaged son of Dr. Joseph Grier Sr and Ruth Morrison-Grier. He was descended from a long line of Presbyterian ministers, a more conservative branch that split off to form the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church; his father spent most of his career at the ARP church in Chester where Joe grew up. Joe had an older sister, Adelaide, who joined the ministry, a younger brother, Gene, who was ordained, and is survived by his youngest brother, Calvin, who had a long career at Sears. After graduating high school, Joe spent two years at Erskine College in Dew West, SC until he received an appointment to the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis. He was officially off to see the world, starting with his summer cruises while attending the Academy, touring places like the Mediterranean, New Zealand, Australia and North Africa. Joe graduated from the Naval Academy in 1950 at the beginning of the Korean Conflict and served on several aircraft carriers entering Korean waters. In 1952, Joe married Barbara Lewis and headed to the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California where he studied Meteorology. During their marriage, Barbara and Joe had three children: Elizabeth Grier-Murphy (David), Joseph (Josh) Grier, and Melissa Grier-Speed. Remarkably, he and Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd did cross paths again in 1955-1956 when he was chosen as a meteorologist to accompany Rear Admiral George J. Dufek and Admiral Bird to the Antarctic to setup a weather station, a project called Operation Deep Freeze I. Later, Joe would be sent on a second tour to the Antarctic for Operation Deep Freeze II. His family sometimes teased him about his South Pole slide shows which were mostly white with the occasional passing penguin or person. Commander Grier found that there were impediments to him having a career in the Navy, and one was that he was seasick every time he was on a ship. The worst was to and from the Antarctic on icebreakers with their rounded bows lurching up over the ice to crush it; he was very thin and said he ate a lot of saltines. He resigned his commission in 1957, remaining in the reserves until he retired. His first civilian employment was at Bell Laboratories in Burlington, NC, transferring to various locations, including Bellcom in Washington to work on the Apollo Project, Bell Labs headquarters in New Jersey, and an administrative position in Naperville, IL until he retired in 1987. In 1978 he met Kathryne (Kit) Dockstader-Grier waiting for a table with a friend in a very popular restaurant in Naperville called Rascals. The two became very good friends and companions, later realizing they had actually fallen in love. They married in 1982, living first in Naperville, and later in Wheaton until his death at 91 years of age. Joe was an outgoing, social person who embraced life and all it had to offer. Friends and family describe him as enthusiastic, confident and witty. He was athletic, playing tennis every chance he could two or three times per week. He liked to jog, hike woods, hills and desert paths. Joe was a huge sports fan and especially loved football. He loved travel and water, particularly the Pacific Ocean, but refused to take a cruise. Although he didn't read much as a child, as an adult he became a voracious reader, first of nonfiction and then later discovering the pleasure of fiction. He loved and was very proud of his three children, Elizabeth, Josh and Melissa, and his six grandchildren, Brenna, Joe, Savannah, Chloe, Cameron and Deanna. Young children were drawn to him because, as his nieces Kathryne, Alexis, Amy and Heather pointed out, he talked to them as people who mattered, sharing stories that sometimes, surely, their parents would have rather he not. He took them on adventures including Camp Cayucos with Kathryne, Alexis and Amy, and Camp Indian Hill Woods with Savannah, Brenna, and Andrea Speed. He would wake them in the mornings by blowing a loud whistle for calisthenics to be performed on the deck or patio, and took them on engaging nature walks which sometimes included spooky stories. Joe volunteered for Junior Achievement and joined SCORE, a support group that helped small businesses put together business plans. He belonged to the Lions and the Naperville Chamber of Commerce. Post retirement, he worked with an organization to help people with financial issues setup budgets and pay off debt. He was a wonderful, loving, devoted husband to Kit. When he began to have medical issues, which included two strokes, he still stayed upbeat and cheerful, rarely complaining of deficits. When his left arm would not cooperate with what he wanted it to do, he almost never gave in to frustration or anger, referring to it as "that pesky arm". When his niece, Alexis, was a young girl, she declared that Uncle Joe was stalwart! He was. Joe will be missed and much loved by his family and friends forever. Celebrate the Life of Joseph L. Grier Please join family and friends to celebrate Joe's life with fond memories and storytelling. Food and drinks will follow. March 14, 2020, 4:00 PM St. Andrews Golf and Country Club 2241 Route 59, West Chicago, IL In lieu of flowers, please donate to: People's Resource Center 201 South Naperville Road, Wheaton, IL 60187 peoplesrc.org or Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans 433 South Carlton Ave. Wheaton, IL 60187 helpaveteran.org.
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