Jerome Ronald Grattan
AGE: 65 • Boynton Beach, FL
Jerome Ronald "Ron" Grattan, 65, died peacefully in his sleep on Friday, Dec. 21, 2012 at the JFK Medical Center Hospice in Atlantis, Florida after a six-month battle with brain cancer. Ron was born in New Brunswick, the son of Jerome F. and Lucille (Zak) Grattan. He had the good fortune to grow up in the rural Riva Avenue section of East Brunswick, where he hiked in the woods; walked to Farrington Lake to go fishing, boating, and skating; rode his bike to the country store and delivered newspapers; and cleared an overgrown field with his brothers and neighbors to create the neighborhood baseball field. He was the senior altar boy at the tiny Our Lady of Peace Church, affectionately known as the "Little Chapel on the Highway," and he was a an enthusiastic boy scout. Ron was passionate about basketball - playing and watching; he played at a competitive level well into his 50's. He graduated from East Brunswick High School in 1965 and from St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania in 1969, to which he was a devoted alumnus. During the Vietnam War he proudly served in the U.S. Navy on the aircraft carrier USS Ranger. After his military service he was employed by IBM for 30 years in various capacities, and subsequently as a recruiter for eData/Seisint for 2 years, The Sports Authority headquarters for 2 years and Pediatrix/Mednax for 9 years.
Ron was predeceased by his father. He is survived by his wife, Heather Collins Grattan; his mother; his siblings, James, David and his wife Elzbieta, Timothy and his wife Alexandra, Nancy Parisi, and Bernadine Eisler and her husband Frank, and one nephew and three nieces.
Burial services were held privately in Florida. A memorial service will be held at Grace Community Church of Boca Raton, 600 W. Camino Real, Boca Raton, FL, on Saturday, January 26, at 3:00pm. A Mass in Ron's memory will be held at St. Patrick's Church, Southold, New York on Saturday, June 1st at 11:00am. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that a donation be made in Ron's honor to his alma mater, St. Vincent College, 300 Fraser Purchase Road, Latrobe, PA 15650.
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