Jim Grill
CALUMET — Very sad to share that we lost Jim Grill today. Jim was 87 years old and had been struggling with cardio-pulmonary issues for the last year. Many people in the boatnerd community knew him as “Jim Grillj,” as he was an avid Great Lakes boat watcher.
Jim grew up in Manistee, and went to work on the C&O carferries as a young man, serving on the Spartan for over 10 years as a steward and pursor and occasionally on the City of Midland 41. Jim had a second career in the U.P. of Michigan as the regional manager for Means (later Aramark) linen services. After retiring from that position, he had a third career working at Ace Hardware in Calumet, where he was well-known in the local community as the “helpful hardware man.” Jim married Pam in 1984 when I was 16 and they had a storybook life together, canoeing and backpacking every trail on Isle Royale over 15 years and later traveling across the U.S. and Canada in their camper. Jim was a particularly voracious Red Wings fan and won so many fantasy hockey championships that the league finally refused to send him more pennants.
He will be dearly missed by his family, including his wife, sisters, children, adopted children, step-children, grandchildren, great and great great-grandchildren, and a huge host of friends and neighbors.
A memorial service for Jim will be announced in the coming weeks. Farewell Jim Grillj, calm seas and fair winds.
Online condolences for the family may be left at ericksoncrowleypeterson.com.