Grant R. (Dick) Garritson

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Grant R. (Dick) Garritson

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On Tuesday, April 2, 2021, Grant R. Garritson (Dick Garritson) Captain USN Retired, passed away at home suddenly. Grant was born on October 18th 1939 to Ulysses Grant Garritson and Geraldine Garritson. Grant was predeceased by his wife Joan Mary Garritson (1939-2006) and son, Richard Grant Garritson (1962-2008) and survived by his son, John Paul Garritson (Monique Garritson and grandsons Scott Richard, Daniel Paul, and Grant Dennis Garritson) as well as his partner of the last 10 years, Ellie Nichols. Dick grew up in Northern Indiana with his family settling in Elkhart, IN. Dick graduated from Elkhart High School and was proud to attend the United States Naval Academy from 1958 to 1961 graduating with honors and marrying Joan M. Synave at the Naval Academy on June 8, 1961 following an eight year, mostly long distance, courtship. Grant went on to attend the University of Notre Dame earning a PhD in Nuclear Physics. He then embarked on his naval career, first in surface ships, then in submarines, and finally in engineering duty that took him from Annapolis to Charleston, S.C., Notre Dame, Ind., (Burke Program), Bainbridge, Md., Agawam, Mass., Ledyard, Conn., Charleston, S.C. (again), Portsmouth, N.H., Monterey, Calif., and finally to Woodbridge, Va., where Dick commanded the David Taylor Naval Ship R&D Center (DTNSRC) in Carderock and Annapolis, MD. Dick retired from the Navy in 1987 to work for the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory and realized his dream of working for a Research University as a Director of several departments at JHU-APL. Upon the death of his wife Joan in 2006, Dick moved to Bonita Springs, FL and was a member of the First Presbyterian Church which provided him with great comfort in his time of grief. Dick spent the last 10 years living in Annapolis, Maryland after relocating from Florida. During this time Dick enjoyed traveling the globe, to Africa, Europe, South America and throughout the United States with his partner, Ellie Nichols. Dick kept busy with his life-long hobby of model ships, volunteering with the US Naval Academy Museum. Dick always looked forward to time spent with his classmates from the US Naval Academy as well as his former co-workers from the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab. Friends and family are invited to call at the John M. Taylor Funeral Home 147 Duke of Gloucester Street, Annapolis, MD 21401 on Sunday April 11, 2021 from 11 AM to 12 PM, where a service will then be held at the Taylor Chapel at noon. The service will be live streamed at the Taylor Funeral Home Facebook page. An online guest book is available at www.johnmtaylorfuneralhome.com
Published by The Capital Gazette from Apr. 7 to Apr. 8, 2021.
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/ca ... =198269885
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