Dr. Gordon William Grundy

1944 - 2018

August 23, 2018-Dr. Gordon William Grundy, 74, beloved husband of 46 years to Sharon Grundy of West Hartford, Connecticut, died peacefully on the morning of August 23, 2018 after a long illness. Gifted with deep intelligence and wisdom, endless curiosity, and a keen wit, Dr. Grundy was born in Kansas City, Missouri, on January 18, 1944 to Merlin and Marion Grundy, attending the Shawnee Mission schools in Overland Park, Kansas, before graduating Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Colorado with a bachelor's degree in chemistry. Receiving his medical degree from the University of Rochester School of Medicine in 1970, he was chief resident in pediatrics at the Yale University School of Medicine. Dr. Grundy was also a lieutenant commander in the Public Health Service, where he conducted and published research on childhood mesothelioma at the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health. For twenty-five years, he practiced as a widely respected pediatrician in the New Haven area. While in practice, Dr. Grundy studied for a Master of Business Administration at the University of New Haven in the evenings, beginning a second career as a vice president and medical director of HealthChoice Connecticut, a vice president and medical director of Yale Preferred Health, and eventually Regional Medical Director for the Northeast United States at Aetna. Dr. Grundy began a third career as Medical Director of Aetna's Special Investigations Unit, for which he won the National Medical Director Award of the National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association in 2014. His humility, kindness, and contributions to the communities where he lived left a deep impression on all who knew him. He was a dedicated citizen of Orange, New Haven, and West Hartford, with a particular commitment to the lives of children, as an elected member of the Orange Board of Education, founding president of the Orange Soccer Association, and competition commissioner within the Connecticut Junior Soccer Association. Dr. Grundy was a lifelong advocate of education and learning, endowing student fellowships with his wife, Sharon, at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Sacred Heart High School in Waterbury, Connecticut, and funding the Biography collections at the West Hartford Public Library. Far surpassing his professional achievements and community involvement were the great joy and pride he took in the lives and accomplishments of his treasured children and grandchildren, supporting each of his children through advanced degrees in medicine, business, psychology, and the humanities. Throughout his life, Dr. Grundy had a deep and enduring love of literature, building a personal library of nearly 1,000 biographies on writers, artists, thinkers, and other historical figures. In the final years of his life, Dr. Grundy became a devoted convert to Catholicism. He was welcomed into the family of Saint Peter Claver Church in West Hartford and guided by his pastor and cherished friend Reverend Robert Kwiatkowski (Father Bob). He endured his illness with courage, strength, dignity, and humility, supported by his faith. He is survived by his wife and best friend, Sharon, and their children Kevin Grundy and wife Rosie of London, England, Dr. William Grundy of New York, Dr. Karen Grundy of Philadelphia, and Dr. Maureen Grundy and husband Jeffrey Berger of Ellicott City, Maryland; his daughter Carrie Barber of Kansas; grandchildren Thomas and Elise Grundy, Henry and Naomi Berger, and Valerie Fenton, Sarah Fourt, Gage Frazier, and Addison Barber; great-grandson Atlas Fenton; and brother Robert Sievert and sister Jill Grundy. He was predeceased by his parents, sister Gail Keitzman, and father- and mother-in-law Thomas and Marguerite Speers. A celebration of Dr. Grundy's life will be held at a Mass of Christian Burial on Saturday, August 25, 2018 at 9:00 a.m. at Saint Peter Claver Church (47 Pleasant Street, West Hartford, Connecticut). A private burial will be held at a future date. Dr. Grundy's family wishes to thank his longtime physician and friend Dr. Rolf Knoll, as well as the caring staff of St. Francis Hospital and UCONN Health Center. To honor Dr. Grundy's commitment to helping others, donations may be made in his name to the Charity Fund of St. Peter Claver Church. Molloy Funeral Home has care of arrangements.