Fredericksburg, VA


Rev. Jim Grigsby passed away peacefully Sunday November 5, 2017, in Fredericksburg, VA, shortly after frequent visits from his family. Born September 10, 1920, at the old Grigsby family home in rural Saluda county, Jim was the sixth child (of seven children) from Ada Lester and Jacob Levi Grigsby.
A service will be held to celebrate Rev. Grigsby's life on November 11th, at Emory United Methodist Church with the Rev. John Bauknight officiating. Relatives will be receiving friends of the family at the Emory fellowship hall at 1:00 PM, followed by a service at 2:00 PM.
Rev. Grigsby is survived by two sons Jim and Tom and their wives, nine grandchildren, and three great grandchildren. He was pre-deceased by a third son John, his wife (Esmer) Delle Johnson Grigsby; and also his mother, father and six siblings.
Memorials may be made in lieu of flowers to Emory UMC, 423 Emory Road, Saluda, SC 29138 or to a favorite charity (or one of several recommended below).
Sometime after starting a farming career in his early twenties, Rev. Grigsby accepted a call to become a minister. He attended Wofford College during World War II where he was serving five churches by the time of his graduation, and afterwards completed his Masters of Divinity at Emory University, and was subsequently ordained by the South Carolina Methodist conference. Beginning in 1947 he served churches in various counties near the cities of Laurens, Anderson, West Columbia, Newberry, Glendale, Swansea (Orange Circuit), Kershaw, Rock Hill, Florence, Abbeville, and Grover.
Like some professions, other ministers and their families are the only ones that are likely to know and understand the selfless service and sacrifices that are rendered in a typical career. Rev. Grigsby touched countless lives by his service and the example he set for others to follow. He never claimed perfection and every day was meant for service. Except for the last ten years of his life when dementia claimed his better sensibilities, he never stopped giving to others.
Rev. Grigsby retired from the South Carolina Methodist Conference in 1986, to the family farm, and later became the pastor of Ridge Spring UMC in 1994. In retirement, he and his wife Delle faithfully attended Emory, the church of his childhood and participated in many programs there. He has resided in assisted care living near his oldest son in Fredericksburg since 2012.

Suggested charities in lieu of flowers:
Emory United Methodist Church
Your favorite dementia/Alzheimer research charity or one of the following
(top rated national charities from www.CharityNavigator.org ):
Alzheimer's Foundation of America
Cure Alzheimer's Fund
Fisher Center for Alzheimer's Research Foundation