Erich L. Grinnell
August 29, 1948 ~ January 30, 2012
Erich Ludwig Grinnell of San Antonio passed away on Monday, January 30, 2012 at the age of 63. Born in Wertheim, Germany on August 29th, 1948 to Josephine Grinnell who later married Theodore Grinnell. Erich became a Naturalized American Citizen and later graduated from Roosevelt High School. A veteran of the US Army during the Vietnam era, he was active in soccer and golf throughout his life. Erich worked the past 27 years with Brandt Engineering. He is survived by his wife Kay Strasser, sons Ryan Grinnell and wife Jill, Greg Strasser and Scott Strasser, sisters, Irma Wiley and husband Troy, Dawn Perez and husband John, brothers, Gerhard Grinnell and wife Pam, Carl Grinnell and Theodore Grinnell and wife Judy, grandsons, Anthony Kell and Reagan and Austin Grinnell, great-granddaughter, Claire Kell and by numerous nieces and nephews which were a passion in his life. He will be greatly missed and will always be a part of our hearts and minds. A Memorial Service will be held on Friday, February 3, 2012 at 11:00AM at Schertz Church of Christ located at 501 Schertz Pwy, Schertz, TX 78154
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Kay, Ryan, all extended family & friends. I cannot imagine the loss that you must be fealing. Erich was a friend to my family, an Uncle to my children, an inspiration to our daily life, a role model and one of my very best friends. Erich showed Heroism as a Dad, Father & Spiritual Leader; I am a far better person for kowing Erich and miss him more than any written word could convey.
Sending our deepest condolences to Kay, Ryan, and Erich’s entire family and friends. Lifting you and your family up in prayer, may God give you the comfort and strength you need to get through this tragic time. You and your family are in our thoughts and prayers.
Kay, Ryan and family, Sharon and I want to express our heartfelt condolences during this difficult time. I had the priviledge of knowing and working with Eric for only seven years. At work, I had the upmost respect for his drive and dedication every day. Outside of work, I enjoyed our conversations about golf, and the occasional beers we had together. I hope that in time, your sorrow can be balanced with cherished memories and the pride that must surely be yours at having been blessed, for so long, with this wonderful man.
Erich, Your kindness and humor will be missed by all. You brightened the lives of those whom you touched.
Dear Kay & Family, I am deeply saddened, and offer my sincerest condolences to you with Erich passing away. I’ve known Erich for over 25 years, starting out as one of his draftsmen here at Brandt. He was, and always will be an inspiration for his insight and leadership. Erich’s sense of humor and laughter will also be sorely missed. My thoughts and prayers go out to your family at this difficult time. Respectfully, Ron Moy(zinski)[as Erich would say]
I worked with Erich the last 5 years and attended several events with him.He was a grat co-worker and person. I will miss him greatly.
I had the pleasure of working with Erich for over 8 years, I as a GC and he as a subconctractor. He truly was one of a kind, he will be dearly missed. My prayers are with his family.
Kay and family, Please accept my most heartfelt sympathies for your lossmy thoughts are with you and your family during this difficult time. I had the pleasure of working with Erich for the past 12 yrs on HVAC projects for AT&T. His sense of humor, smile, and laughter will remain with me as wonderful memories of a wonderful man. He will be missed by all that knew and worked with him. May your heart and soul find peace and comfort.
We will keep you and your familiy in our prayers.
Thoughts and prayers are with you and your family during this difficult time. May God bless you.
My heart goes out to the family of Erich Grinnell. He will be greatly missed. It will be difficult to find others who put so much of their heart into their work. God Bless! Lillian Ball
Please accept my sincere codolences on the loss of your family patriarch. Over many, many years, Erich assisted me professionally. My fondness for him grew each and every year, and he would chuckle when I would tease him about solving a difficult problem. He was the “one” I would always ask for as he was VERY good at solving those problems. He will be dearly missed by me and many others. Your entire family will be remembered in my prayers. May God grant you comfort and strength in your difficult loss, and may HIS love help carry you all through the days ahead.
Always a pleasure to speak with Erich; whether about business or Family. It has been my gain to have known Erich during all these years.
Out thoughts and prayers go out to all family members.
The finest man I have ever known in my life! God Bless
We are very sorry for your loss and the entire family. Our condolences to all.
Dear Kay & family, please accept our most heartfelt condolences. Erich was such a sweet and gentle person. He was brilliant and so generous with his time. We both treasured working with him and will miss him deeply. Our prayers are with you all.
Kay, So sorry about your loss. One thing for sure, Erich will have Warren up there to keep him company.
My thoughts and prayers are with you and family.Erich will be greatly missed.
My thougts and prayers are with you and your family. It was a privelege to play golf with him.
Ryan, I am so sorry about the loss of your dad. You and all your family are in my prayers. May God bless you and give peace. My love to all the family, Aunt Sherry
Condolences to Erich’s family and friends and may each of you find the strength you need during this time. Many of us have worked and played with Erich for many years, they were all great and treasured times. Godspeed!
Kay, Ryan and family My family and I are heartbroken for your loss at this difficult time. We send you our deepest sympathies and condolences. I spent a lot of time with Eric on the golf course. I had the pleasure of golfing with Eric almost every Saturday along with our golfing group. Eric was very competitive on the course and we always had side bets; he would win most of them. I will miss him most on the golf course. We would have beers together afterward with the group and talk about everything from politics to sports to family. I considered Eric one of my best friends and am a better person because of him. He will be missed by all, especially the golf guys. May God bless you and your family; He will always be in my heart and prayers. Respectfully, Alfredo Moreno Jr. (Fredo as Eric would say) and Family
To Family, I am very sorry for your loss. I will always have special memories of middle and high school, and driving our red scooters around and the memories we shared for the last 40 + years. I truly miss him and will always care deeply for him. His bro Kenny. May God bless his family and I will hold Kay, Ryan , Jill and grandkids and all family in my prayers. From Kenny
Dear Ryan, my thoughts and prayers are with you at this time of sadness. Your father was a great guy and will be missed by all who have known him. Stay strong and keep the faith. Love from Granny
We are so sorry for your loss. Erich will be missed. Erich was far more than a co-worker, he was a very good friend. The world has lost a wonderful person. Love and prayers for the family
Erich will truly be missed. he was a true friend. My thoughts and prayers during this time of mourning.
Dear Kay and Family, You have my sincere condolences on the loss of Erich. I am honored to have been able to work with Erich for the last five years. He is not only an inspiration to me but also to many others in our office. My prayers are with you and your family. Erich will be missed by all.
Dear Kay and Family, You have my sincere condolences on the loss of Erich. I am honored to have been able to work with Erich for the last five years. He is not only an inspiration to me but also to many others in our office. My prayers are with you and your family. Erich will be missed by all.
Dear Kay and Family, You have my sincere condolences on the loss of Erich. I am honored to have been able to work with Erich for the last five years. He is not only an inspiration to me but also to many others in our office. My prayers are with you and your family. Erich will be missed by all.
I want to send my condolences to the family. Working with Erich over the years was a joy. He was always there to answer questions and provide the best service that he could. We will all miss him dearly. May God comfort you through this difficult time.
A great guy. We worked together since 1985. A great loss to the construction buisness in San Antonio. We’ll miss him.
Eric was a fine gentle yet firm man, who raised his son, Ryan, to love and respect life as he did. He was a source of strength to those of us who knew him no matter how briefly. Ryan and Jill and to his entire family my sincere condolences. My love and prayers are with you. Ryan call anytime your Aunt Robin
Erich was a great guy..I graduated with him at Roosevelt..I was on the football field when he made a record 60 yard punt…he will be missed..gad bless you all….Ronnie Hamblin
We are so sorry to hear about Erich’s passing. I remember seeing him during our last reunion and he loved talking about golf. One of my high school memories was when he punted a 65 yard punt in a football game. We will miss him.
I was so sorry to hear of Erich’s passing. I really enjoyed seeing him at our reunions and catchin up on our high school days. He was a great guy and liked by everyone. My deepest sympathy.
I was in Erich’s class at TR. I am so sorry for your loss. May God grant you peace and wonderful memories of his life…
It was a pleasure seeing Erich at our last at our last reunion – catching up after too many years. He was a good man and will be missed by many.
I went to Jr. & Sr. High School with Eric. He was a true gentleman, honest sincere and loyal. I will always remember him as a calm quiet giant amongst us. His word and his actions were his honor and meant everything to him. I was so grateful to have known him and to have been a friend. I last visited with him at the 2008 reunion, he still had that cool smile & wonderful attitude. I believe that God sends us examples, he was one of them. I am so sorry for your loss, for our loss, this ole world will not be the same. May God comfort you all in this saddest of times. Henry D. Samples
My sincere condolences to Erichs family. I went to Roosevelt with Eric and although he seemed quiet and unassuming, he was very kind and I was impressed with what he accomplished. God bless,
Thank you Erich; for sharing your youth with me about exploring the castle ruins in Wertheim, Germany and your job of setting up bowling pins by hand for the bowlers once they knocked them down. As usual you downplayed the castle ruins and never mentioned your Mom as being one of the ones knocking those pins down but years of being with you filled in all the blanks and made me appreciate my youth and my family. Thank you Erich; for sharing your Mom with me, very few people know how often you checked up on her during work, took her for rides in the company truck, called her and made sure she was OK, listened to her continually tell you to stop worrying about her. You downplayed this by saying shes hard-headed she does not really need anyone bothering her. But to have your Mom grab my arm and say GEORGE THAT ERICH HE IS A GOOD SON in broken English made me see for the first time what true Love of a Mom and Son looks like. Thank you Erich; for sharing the stories of your loves lost and attempts to keep promises made from the Heart. These were downplayed by you as you were not the right one for them, they did not need someone like you holding them back & that is the way life is son. You taught me that Love is not a game of win or lose it is simply caring more about the person that you are with than yourself. Thank you Erich; for letting me see what a Father will do to be a part of his sons life, to drive over 500-miles, sleeping in your car just to spend a few hours with Ryan and to do this over and over again, to accept Gregg & Scott as your own Sons and to treat them as evenhandedly as you did Ryan, to constantly point out the good things that your children did, to tell me how much you enjoyed the Horse Races, Golf Games, Times in the swimming pool and meals that the family had together. You showed me that these things should not be seen as sacrifices but privileges that we are given as Fathers. Thank you Erich; for setting the example of what a friend is for seeing a friend rain or shine almost every Friday for well over 35-years, for setting time aside to see friends that you only see on the Golf Course on weekends as well as playing Golf with your wife Kay and setting her interest above you own, for visiting with your customers on your own time and not talking about work but having a genuine interest about them and their family, for asking me about a friend in the Hospital and before I can even think about it having me at their bedside with you showing them you care. Thank you Erich for all the Laughs; No really who cut your hair George just tell me and I will go beat them up!! You finished the job REALLY do you want a banana that is what they pay you to do!! Were not building a watch SON!! A round of applause for the mess youve made this time!! IM NOT GOING TO WORRY ABOUT IT NO MORE!! Well Erich you do not have to worry about it no more and when I get to Heaven and pull into my one room house on my bicycle and see you on your Personal Golf Course beside your Golden Mansion, I will say REALLY! God did you not see what I saw Erich deserves so much more than this.
Erich was my uncle. He didn’t know how to show emotion because that’s not how he was raised, according to my my mother, his sister Irma. He showed how he felt about you in different ways. I lived with him when I was a teenager. I saw many sides of him but I never saw him angry or raise his voice. He was a kind, caring, person with only good things to say about anyone. He loved his son, Ryan and LOVED his grandchildren. His only reason for living is for his family. I am glad he was in MY WHOLE LIFE AND MY LIFE WILL NEVER BE THE SAME!!!
Kay, we know you really loved Erich with all your heart. Ryan, Your parents are no longer with you, but are watching out for you keeping safe and well. You will both always have friends and family here with you. In our prayers, and in our hearts. We will always love you both no mater what. God loves you both and will take care of you. So do we. No matter what. Love you. Ruth.