William (Bill) Jennings Grubbs Jr

William Jennings (Bill) Grubbs, Jr., 89 years old, of Simpsonville, SC, passed away on Sunday, September 13, 2020 following three months of declining health and much loving care and assistance from his family. Born in Lexington, Ky, Bill was raised there during the depression and the subsequent war years. Determined that his life would not be defined by the depression, Bill graduated from Henry Clay High School with honors and awards, and then earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Kentucky in 1951.
Straight out of college, Bill began to work for AT&T’s prestigious Bell Telephone Laboratories (Bell Labs) in Murray Hill, NJ. During his ten years at Bell Labs, Bill earned four patents and a Master’s Degree in Physics at Stevens Institute of Technology. Bill moved to North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas, continuing to work in electrical engineering with private companies. Bill moved to Simpsonville, SC to enjoy his retirement years and remained there the rest of his life.
Bill was a highly gifted artist in various media all his life, beginning in his grade school years. He enjoyed working in oils, acrylics, pastels, charcoal, and colored pencils. Bill graced his family over many years with a multitude of paintings. He was also an accomplished ceramist, mold-maker, and woodcarver.
After retiring at 65 from his satisfying career in electrical engineering, full of life and energy, Bill started up an art business, PI Studios, with the assistance of his wife. For approximately 10 years, he produced beautiful pen & ink and pencil drawings on commission.
Following his adventure with PI Studios, Bill immersed himself into writing and he wrote and self-published three books: a book of short stories, a science history book, and his autobiography.
During his retirement, he served as a volunteer at both Meals on Wheels and Hillcrest Hospital.
Bill thoroughly enjoyed music and was an accomplished singer throughout his years.
Some will miss his clever puns and some will not, but he loved to inject a spontaneous pun into a conversation and he always appreciated a pun from those around him.
Exercising almost daily, he stayed fit for his entire life. He was unusually healthy, rarely having spent a night in a hospital before age 89. He even took a 6,500-mile road trip with family members and went hiking out west at the age of 88.
Bill profoundly loved his family of all generations, and they all loved him deeply in return. His last spoken words in this life, in his final week, were “I love you” to one of his grandchildren.
Bill was pre-deceased by his parents, the late William J. and Marie C. Grubbs; his beloved wife of 52 years, Carol Holmes Grubbs; his only brother, Robert Owen Grubbs; and one grandchild, Angelica Grubbs. He is survived by three loving children and their families: son John B. Grubbs (Dorothy) of Old Fort, NC and grandchildren Sharon Clay (Chuck), Sara McGee (Bill), Michael Grubbs (Adrianne), Elizabeth Grubbs, Kellie Grubbs, Mindy Grubbs, Samuel Grubbs (Alli), and Chris Grubbs, and ten great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandson; daughter Jill G. Niethammer of Simpsonville, SC and grandchildren William Niethammer and Rebecca Niethammer; and daughter Amy G. Dawson (Patrick) of Richardson, TX and grandchildren Emma Dawson and Kate Dawson. Bill is also survived by his late brother’s wife, Jean W. Grubbs, and their daughter Karen G. Lazar of Bethlehem, PA.
The family wants to express our deep appreciation to those who assisted us with his care during his very difficult final three months. We want to pass on our heart-felt gratitude to Miranda and Lori and others of Interim Home Healthcare and to the wonderful staff at Bon Secours St. Francis Downtown Hospital and McCall Hospice House.
Unfortunately, no funeral or memorial service is planned at this time due to the national pandemic. Ironically, Bill’s own maternal grandfather died in 1919 of the Spanish flu pandemic, and could not have a funeral either.
Memorial donations may be made in honor of Bill’s name to the American Cancer Society.
Finally, a word of hope for those of us left behind to miss him:
Psalms 147:3 - “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”