Obituary published on Legacy.com by Holloway Funeral Home - Salisbury on Aug. 14, 2023.
David Grise passed away on Sunday August 14, 2023 in
Salisbury, MD after a recent stroke and years of struggling with frontotemporal dementia. His family was by his side, as well as his caregivers at Commonwealth Senior Living in Salisbury and Coastal Home Care. His family thanks those healthcare providers as well as those from Coastal Hospice and BrightStar Home Care for making the end of his life as comfortable and happy as possible.
David was born in
Salisbury, MD to Howard Grise and Norma Grise (née Dashiell) on August 31, 1960. He graduated from Wicomico Senior High School in 1978 and from Salisbury University in 1982. David's baseball career started off in Salisbury Little League with an early talent for pitching. He moved along to Pony League and to Wi Hi's Indians as a pitcher with a zippy fast ball and a mean curve ball. By his college years he was a champion starting pitcher with many wins and even some no-hitters for the Salisbury University Seagulls. Once college baseball season was over each year, he finished out the summers playing semi-pro baseball in Fairfax, VA and also played in the Eastern Shore League all over Delmarva.
Graduating in 1982 from Salisbury University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration, David soon settled into a career with the U.S. Postal Service, following in the footsteps of his father and his grandfather. David and his family were proud that he was able to serve as a senior postal employee up until illness forced his retirement after 39 years.
Long distance running became David's passion and beloved hobby after shoulder injuries caused him to stop playing baseball. He medaled in countless races locally and throughout the U.S. David's greatest running achievements were the many marathons he completed including Boston, New York, Atlantic City, and the Marine Corps Marathon in
Washington, DC. He finished impressively in five consecutive Boston Marathons from 1994 to 1998.
David was a devoted member of the Bethesda United Methodist Church in
Salisbury, MD. He joined his father Howard in service to the church and the community as a church usher and as a volunteer for the church's homeless shelter.
David will always be remembered by his family for his winning smile, sense of fun, and the love he showed his family. Whether he was teaching his nephews some moves on the basketball court or inviting everyone to a crab feast at his house in Hebron, MD, he put his whole heart into his relationships with his friends and family. Being outdoors and having fun with his dogs was sheer happiness for him. His family believes he is now on a heavenly run with his many dogs that have passed on, and enjoying an endless summer day filled with music.
David is survived by his sister Jennifer Grise and her husband David Appleton of Intervale, NH, nephew Evan Fritz of Kearsarge, NH and nephew Daniel Fritz and fiancée Emma Cushing of
Somerville, MA. David was preceded in death by his father Howard Grise and mother Norma Lee Grise, née Dashiell.
David's life will be celebrated at a memorial service on Thursday August 17, 2023 at Holloway Funeral Home, in
Salisbury, MD beginning at 1:00pm. Visitation will be one hour prior. The service will be followed by interment at Wicomico Memorial Park, 721 Snow Hill Rd, Salisbury at 2:00 pm that afternoon.
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