Clifton R. Grinnell, 87, died Tuesday, December 13, 2011 at Mass General Hospital following a brief illness. He was the husband of the late Mary (Mahoney) Grinnell.
Born in Salem on Feb. 27, 1924, he was the son of the late Walter and Agnes (Cosman) Grinnell. He was raised and educated in Danvers and was a graduate of Holten High School, Class of 1942. Following graduation, he served honorably in the U.S. Navy in WWII aboard the USS Wasp. He later earned his engineering degree from UMass-Amherst.
A civil engineer, Mr. Grinnell was employed as town engineer for the Town of Danvers until becoming Director of the South Essex Sewerage District.
A longtime Danvers resident until recently moving to Beverly, Mr. Grinnell was a lifelong member of Maple Street Congregational Church. He was a past member of the Danvers Touchdown Club and had been treasurer of the Danvers YMCA for several years. For many years, he served on the Board of Water & Sewer Commissioners. He was an avid golfer and a member of the Ould Newbury Golf Club.
He is survived by his children, Cynthia Grinnell and her husband Steven Koch of Beverly and Gregory Grinnell and his wife Roo Grubis of Guilford, VT, a granddaughter, Laura Koch of Beverly, and a niece, Patricia Gregg and her husband Michael. He was predeceased by a brother, Donald Grinnell.
His Funeral Service will be Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011 at 11AM in C.R. Lyons & Sons, Funeral Directors, 28 Elm St., Danvers Square. Burial will follow in Wadsworth Cemetery, Danvers. Relatives and friends are invited. Visiting hours will precede the service on Saturday from 9-10:45AM. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Danvers Community YMCA, 34 Pickering St., Danvers, MA 01923.