Wendy Patricia Grainger

Wendy Patricia (nee Fitzgerald) Grainger was born October 10th, 1947, the second of six children. She was a dear younger sister to Judith Nichols, and beloved elder sister to Sherry Nelson, Tracy Fitzgerald, Billy (Buzz) Fitzgerald, and Laurie Unsworth.

Wendy grew up in South San Francisco, attending El Camino High School. She graduated from UC Berkeley in 1969, with a degree in theater arts. She travelled with the New Shakespeare company shortly after college, and worked as a lighting designer for San Francisco's Beach Blanket Babylon.

After experiencing gender discrimination in the theatrical world, she went on to become the first female journeyman electrician in the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Union, Local 6 (San Francisco).

On December 27, 1969, Wendy eloped to Reno with Jerry Grainger, with whom she spent the next 52+ years.

Wendy is survived by her husband, Jerry; their two children, daughter Rachel Puryear (Kwame Puryear), and son James Jess Grainger (Jessica Mitchell); and granddaughter Eleanor Grainger.

She is also survived by sister Sherry Nelson, and brother Tracy Fitzgerald. She was predeceased by sister Judith Nichols, brother (Billy) Buzz Fitzgerald, and sister Laurie Unsworth. Her parents were Jean Fitzgerald and Bill Fitzgerald, both of whom predeceased her.

To know Wendy was to be impressed by her profound intellect, and the love and warmth she had for all her relatives. Wendy loved to travel, and made many trips abroad, including multiple motorcycle adventures in Europe. She loved theater and the arts, and was deeply curious about the wider world.

She was generous, deeply loyal, yet quite formidable. She had a wry sense of humor, and a stalwart spirit that anchored her through life's adversities, including declining health during her last decade. She made the lives of everyone she met a little brighter, and will be deeply missed.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Planned Parenthood of America https://www.plannedparenthood.org, a cause near and dear to her heart.

Services: Cypress Lawn, Colma, Friday, November 18, 2022, at 12:00 pm, in the Tiffany Chapel. Reception at the Basque Cultural Center.