Obituary: RICHARD OSCAR GRANT, JR.
Richard Oscar Grant, Jr., 75, passed away on April 2, 2012, at his home in Wilmington, NC, from complications of lung disease, after a rich, vibrant, and adventure-filled life. Oscar was born in Wilmington on May 14, 1936, to Elise Martin Grant and Richard Oscar Grant. He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Martin Smith Grant.
He is survived by his cherished wife of 52 years, Jane Irby Grant of Wilmington; son Richard Oscar Grant, III; daughter Louise Harrell Grant, both of Columbia, SC; and daughter-in-law Kathleen Trewhella-Grant, of Simpsonville, SC; sister Sarah Bird Grant Wright of Midlothian, VA; nephews Alexander Grant Wright of Brooklyn, NY: Ashley Martin Grant of Tallahassee, FL; and Charlie D'Arcy Grant of Anderson, SC; and one great nephew, Colin Willem Wright of Brooklyn, NY.
Oscar graduated from New Hanover High School in Wilmington in 1954. During his youth he was a Wrightsville Beach lifeguard, and as a boy scout he achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. He graduated from NC State University with a BS degree in industrial engineering in 1958 and an MS degree in engineering in 1960. While there, he was an active member of Kappa Alpha fraternity, an experience that left him with many lifelong friends and enough stories of capers and exploits to last a lifetime.
After graduating, he served for three years as a First Lieutenant in the US Air Force at the Ballistic Missile Command in Los Angeles, CA. He then returned to the eastern U.S. and began his business career in 1963 as an engineer with Olin Matheson Chemical Corporation in Brevard, NC. In 1968, he moved to Columbia, SC, and became an entrepreneur, ultimately rising to the rank of president at a computer software systems company, Digital Systems, Inc.
After the company was sold in 1984, Oscar moved to Wrightsville Beach, NC, and was finally able to pursue his true love: sailing. He cruised the entire Inland Waterway and Florida coast, as well as most of the Bahamas. He made hundreds of friends along the way, both through his travels and through his memberships in the Carolina Yacht Club and the Marathon Yacht Club.
Oscar cherished his family, each of his friends, and the prospect of miles of open water in front of him. As a five-time cancer survivor, he was an inspiration to many others facing difficult health battles, and he would be proud to say he left this world cancer-free. More than anything, though, he loved to laugh, and he was lucky enough to get to do that often with those he loved. He lived every minute of his life fully and passionately, and he left this world with no regrets.
A memorial service will be held at St. Andrews-on-the-Sound Episcopal Church at 12:00 noon on Saturday, April 7th, with a reception to follow at the church. A private burial at Oakdale Cemetery will be held later.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Andrews-on-the-Sound Episcopal Church Building Fund, 101 Airlie Road, Wilmington, NC 28403, or Good Shepherd Ministries, 811 Martin St., Wilmington, NC 28401.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.andrewsmortuary.com.
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