William "Bill" G. Grace Obituary (1926 - 2014)

William G. "Bill" Grace, Sr., 87, of Russellville, died Friday, February 14, 2014 at St. Mary's Regional Medical Center in Russellville. The 10th of 14 children of C.C. and Cleo Moore Grace, he was born September 29, 1926 in the South New Hope Community. He was a 1945 graduate of Dardanelle High School. He was a United States Navy Veteran of World War II, during which he served on the USS Savannah-CL42, the USS Augusta-CA31 and the USS San Francisco-CA38. After the war, he attended Arkansas Polytechnic College and received a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the University of Arkansas in 1952. He and Mary Lee McConnell were married on November 26, 1952 at Benton. In 1957, he founded Grace Termite and Pest Control which he operated until his retirement in 1983. He was a member of First Baptist Church. Lovingly called "Nippie" by his grandchildren, he enjoyed teaching them to fish as soon as they could sit in his boat and hold a fishing pole. Mr. Grace also enjoyed gardening and was an avid Razorback Fan. He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Tom, Jack, Glen, Frank, John and Charlie Grace all of whom served in the US military, and Ben Grace who stayed home during the war and worked the family farm; sisters, Elizabeth Fink and Mary Roggencamp. He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Mary Lee Grace, Russellville; daughter, Rebecca Riedmueller and husband Pat, Pottsville, son, William Garrett Grace, Jr., Dardanelle; son, Greg Grace and wife Amy, Russellville; daughter, Jennifer Henriksen and husband Kevin, Morrison, OK; 7 grandchildren, Jessica and Daniel Riedmueller, Ryan, Spencer and Sawyer Grace, Jared Henriksen and Jamie Booker; 7 great-grandchildren; 3 sisters, Inez Overcash, Houston, TX; Anna Lee Richardson, Terrell, TX, Sarah Whitford, Centerville; brother, Lloyd Grace, Van Buren. Funeral Service will be held at 2:00PM, Monday, February 17, 2014 at Humphrey Chapel. Rev. Greg Sykes will officiate. Burial will be at Ard Cemetery in Dardanelle, by Humphrey Funeral Service. Full military honors will be provided by the Boyoce-Woods Post 3141 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Visitation will be from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm, on Sunday, at the funeral home. Memorials may be made to Ard Cemetery Perpetual Care Association, 12423 Ard Road, Dardanelle, AR 72834. PDF Printable Version