John F. (Jack) Grashof, PhD

On May 13th, Jack, 76 died peacefully at home surrounded by family. He was preceded in death by his parents, Fred and Barbara Grashof.

Jack was born in Rochester, NY, grew up in upstate New York and graduated from Nineveh High School. His family spent vacations cruising the Rideau Canal and the Finger Lakes.

Jack earned a BS and MS from Penn State, where he met and later married Joan Kammerman, then received his PhD from Michigan State.

He served in the U.S. Army as a first lieutenant at Fort Sam Houston for two years, after which he taught at Temple U. and became chairman of the Marketing Department. While at Temple, Jack, eager to learn new things, took flying lessons, and flew Joan from Philadelphia to Atlantic City and back.

After he married Joan, who loved the NJ shore, he took to salt water, so much so, that they bought a summer house in Brigantine, NJ, where many summers were spent and his first boats were bought, a Sunfish sailboat and power boats “Recess” and “Longer Recess”

Then he moved his family south where he was chairman of the Marketing Department at Georgia State and eventually retired from Kennesaw State.

While in Georgia, the adventuring continued. He and Joan learned to scuba dive and dove in the Atlantic and the Caribbean. And expanding the fishing life, he bought a 46’ sport fish, got his Captain’s license and charted the “Fishbox” with his son, Michael, out of Atlantic City and Florida. Next he and Joan took up RVing, bought two horses, and in their backyard built a barn with a pot-bellied stove, to keep the horses warm in the winter.

After his retirement, he and Joan became full time RVers for 10 years before returning to live in Blairsville where he was on the Vestry at St. Clare’s Episcopal Church and served as Treasurer for several years.

In their spare time they enjoyed cruising the Atlantic, Mediterranean and Caribbean with various cruise lines. And this spring, they checked cruising up the Mississippi off his bucket list.

He is survived by his wife, Joan, after 52+ years of marriage, a sister, Jill Anderson Brown (Syd), two sons Jeffrey (Kathy) and Michael (Teresa) and five precious grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, Jack would prefer donations to the St. Clare’s Episcopal Church Capital Campaign.

Mountain View Funeral Home of Blairsville is in charge of the arrangements. You may sign the family guest book and send condolences online at www.mountainviewfuneralhome.com

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