J.C. Grant

J.C. Grant

Our beloved father and grandfather, J.C. "Red" Grant, was called to heaven Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2008.

He was born Sept. 15, 1931, in Clarkton, Mo., to Buford Evart Grant and Hattie Mendoza Wilkins Grant. He was the youngest of seven children, and was preceded in death by two brothers and four sisters.

As a young child he worked on the farm and picked cotton and attended school. At the age of 15 he enlisted in the Air Force. He served his first tour of duty in occupied Japan at the end of World War II. After completing that tour of duty he signed up and joined the Army and went to Korea where he served an additional six years.

After returning home he met and married Margaret Agnes Roberts of Clyde, N.Y. They married in Holly Springs, Miss.

After returning for a short time to Clarkton, they moved to East Cape Girardeau, Ill., where he worked as a farm hand, then moved to Cape Girardeau where he worked at Southeast Missouri State University as a heavy duty lead custodian at Dearmont Hall 20 years. After retiring from the university, he worked an additional 10 years at Southeast Missouri Hospital. He was forced to retire completely from work due to his health.

He was never retired from his family's lives. He had three children, Nanci (Stan) Burchell, Susan (Jim) King and David Jay Grant. They were a great source of comfort to him in his final days.

He loved to ride horses and go to rodeos with his granddaughter, Jamie King. He loved fishing with his grandsons, Randy Burchell, Justin Kottabi and Joseph Harrison. His beloved great-grandson, Thomas Burchell, was a great source of joy in his life.

He was a member of VFW Post 3838 and Eagles Aerie 3775.

He will be loved and missed by the people he worked with, lived with and loved.

We hope all his friends and family will attend a brief visitation followed by the funeral Monday starting at 10 a.m. at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home, with the Rev. Cy Smith officiating. Interment will be at 1 p.m. at Missouri State Veterans Cemetery in Bloomfield, Mo.