Willie T. Grant

Willie T. Grant, beloved husband, father, grandfather, and faithful servant of God, passed away peacefully on August 27, 2025, at the age of 88.

Willie was born in Tyronza, Arkansas on February 12, 1937, the second-youngest of 12 children of parents Sterling and Sarah Grant. At age seven, the family moved to Toledo, Ohio where he attended Irving E. Macomber Vocational Technical High School and studied woodworking. The first of his family to attend college, in 1961, after working his way through school, he earned a degree in civil engineering from Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie-Mellon University) in Pittsburgh, PA.

On August 27, 1960, Willie married his beloved wife of 65 years, Carolyn Rose Jones, of Toledo, Ohio. After seeking work worthy of his qualifications and a city best-suited to raise and educate his children, in 1966 he moved with Carol and their young family to Lakewood, Colorado, near Denver. There he began a long career as a civil engineer that was marked by dedication, integrity, and a commitment to excellence. He also adopted his three-year-old nephew after his mother passed away. In 1988, he accepted a position with Rust Engineering Corporation, and relocated with Carol to Birmingham, Alabama, where a new chapter of their lives began.

Willie's deep commitment to service was the cornerstone of a life of faith that touched many people. In 1987, he and Carol founded the non-profit "Seeds of Love," with a mission to use music and ministry to provide food and support for families in need. Seeds of Love continued and expanded after the couple's move to Birmingham. In 2015, he established the Seeds of Love Scholarship Fund to support young African-Americans in pursuing education in the sciences, for which he was recognized with a Volunteers in Philanthropy award by the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham.

Willie was also passionate about passing on life lessons, and creating opportunities for young people. In retirement he partnered with several area schools, churches and the Birmingham police to provide mentoring for youth. His varied interests included writing poetry, floral arranging and bread-making. He also used his engineering skills as a creative problem-solver, designing solutions to improve his and other's homes, and receiving several patents for his inventions. In his later years, even through the challenges of the pandemic, Willie organized neighborhood food drives that collected thousands of pounds of food for those in need.

A longtime member of Shades Mountain Baptist Church in Birmingham, Willie and Carol joined Dawson Memorial Baptist Church in 2002, where he taught Sunday School, and was active in church activities. His legacy of love, integrity, and generosity will continue to inspire all who were blessed to know him.

Willie is survived by his devoted wife Carol; three children, Darrell Grant (Anne McFall) of Portland, Oregon, Charisse Grant of Miami, Florida, and Kartae (Kevin) Grant (Debbie Grant) of Mesa, Arizona, and four grandchildren, Elijah Williams-Grant, Malcolm Grant, Natasha Grant (Holmberg) )and Alex Grant.

A celebration of his life will be held in the Chapel at Dawson Memorial Baptist Church on September 18, 2025 with family and friends invited to join in honoring his memory. Visitation will be at 1:00 PM with service to follow at 2:00 PM. In lieu of flowers the family requests that memorials be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. www.stjude.org