George Michael Grasso Jr.

Rochester, NY- George Michael Grasso, Jr, age 87, died peacefully in his sleep on Sunday, September 28, 2025, immediately released from the progressive decline of Alzheimer's Disease. He was born on June 15, 1938 in Bronxville, NY to George Michael Grasso, Sr and Josephine Grasso (née Bucchioni.)
George grew up in Eastchester, NY as the middle child and only son, between his two sisters, Eleanor and Cynthia. He attended Greenvale Elementary School, Eastchester Junior High and Eastchester High School (Class of '56, 50th reunion committee member 2006.) He was a greaser in the 50s, who had perfectly-styled-don't-touch-the-curls hair, a devilish smile, a cool car, a motorcycle and a yearning for adventure. He loved to laugh, make others laugh, flirt, dance, golf, drive, give advice, play shortstop, hunt and work. George developed a strong work ethic at a young age; he wanted to become a man who knew how to provide for himself and his family. He always held one, two, even three jobs at time throughout most of his life. He worked hard.
He also knew how to play hard. George always loved cars and driving, and kept meticulously clean vehicles, the air vents of which he would swab with Q-tips so he didn't miss anything! At 16, while cruising in his shiny car with friends around Lake Tonetta, he met the love of his life, Carol. They dated for a while; she loved his adventurous side, and he loved her gentle nature. They went to his junior prom together and later, broke up- the way teenagers do- eventually marrying other spouses.
As a young man, George married his first wife, Alice, and he became a father to Denise, Donna and Anthony. His young family remained very close to his parents and shared a house with them as his children arrived. His mother, Josephine, was especially impactful on the hearts of her grandchildren and she is remembered as having warm cookies coming out of the oven with impeccable timing to meet their needs over the years. Though their first marriages didn't survive, George and Alice's friendship managed to last throughout their lives.
George and Carol reconnected in 1968. Carol hit a parked car in a parking lot, had no paper to leave a note and tapped the shoulder of an officer directing traffic, not knowing it was George. George turned around, and they were shocked to see each other. She told him that she wasn't sure which side of the law he would land on and was happy to see he chose the better of the two sides. They exchanged updates on their lives, Carol told him of her young husband's passing and her three sons: Russell, Gary and Michael. He told her about his children and situation, also. They chatted for a bit and then didn't see each other again for some time. When they did reconnect, they became friends, taking their combined six children to parks, picnics and outings.
In 1970, they married and two years later had a daughter, Kara. As a family with seven children, they camped for vacations in the summers. In 1974, they traveled in a station wagon with a pop-up camper towed behind and drove from New York to California for a family wedding and visits to Yosemite National Park and the Grand Canyon. Carol would read pamphlets from state and national parks as they drove, while the kids would lounge in the way back of the station wagon on a mattress. It was the 70s! Many camping trips, barbecues, spontaneous outings, birthday and holiday gatherings, filled the calendar. Over time, the holiday crowds grew. The friends of the kids were welcomed to the home on holidays, the food was always abundant, and George loved to laugh and make others laugh.
George never met a stranger; he was outgoing and seemed to know everyone in the world! Going out to dinner locally was challenging, because everyone wanted to stop by the table and talk to him. It was a joke that he really should have run for mayor.
Yet, George was a complicated man who struggled with the demands of seven children. He could be very domineering and strict, setting unreachable standards for some of his kids. He had firm ideas about right and wrong and wasn't comfortable being in the wrong, this coupled with his short-fuse, led to complex relationships with some of their children. He could also be gentle, tender and reassuring and sometimes completely overlook terrible mistakes that his kids made. This unpredictability was challenging. He was a man who wanted to help and succeeded in this mission only some of the time. One thing all his children agree on is that George instilled an impeccable work ethic in each of them, leading by example. His attention to detail, his high standards and his belief in hard work live on in his children. Still the love he felt for his seven children, though imperfectly demonstrated, remains present between them all.
George had a paper route as a young boy, and worked in his father's store, The Grasso's Deli. There he learned how to make amazing sandwiches and throughout his whole life, nobody could make a sandwich with the same level of fastidious detail as he could. George had an early passion and talent for golf. He didn't have the means to follow his ambitions to become a professional golfer, though he had the talent, so he enlisted in the United States Navy and served from 1957-1959. He was stationed in Greece for a brief period, where he received the $1 tattoo of his name on his left deltoid to remember his time there. It is possible that his Navy experience ignited his passion for travel and the outdoors which he would satisfy in his later years.
After the Navy, George drove a delivery truck for Coca-Cola which instilled a loyalty to Coke that remained for his entire life. When offered a Pepsi product in a restaurant, he would incredulously ask why they didn't serve Coca-Cola, shake his head with a disapproving look on his face and order a root beer. George was the maintenance man in the apartment complex his young family lived in. He served as a volunteer in the Eastchester Fire Department for a short while before joining the Eastchester Police Department (EPD) in 1962. He rose to Detective Sergeant and retired in 1985. George drove limousines as a side job during his police years and really loved the work, finding the quickest backroads, and where to avoid traffic jams- all before GPS and smart phones! He held detailed maps in his mind. Upon his retirement from the EPD, he and his wife, Carol, started Park Avenue Car Service, a limousine company that met the needs of corporate employees and private individuals for many years. He took great pride in his work there and the success of the business. Finally, they sold Park Avenue Limo to travel to new destinations, not just airports, conference centers and proms.
In 1997, George and Carol began the adventure of a lifetime when they sold their home in Eastchester, bought a 37-foot fifth wheel RV and a dually truck to pull it. They set off into the unknown, with their two cats and two dogs along for the trip. Following a road atlas and the maps in his mind, they spent a full five years touring the United States and Mexico. Often, they would just stop where the spirit moved them. They traveled to 48 states, excepting Hawaii and Alaska. George and Carol explored caves, hiked mountains, walked boardwalks in Texas with their toes only 8 inches above enormous alligators, lay in fields with Blue Angels jets screaming above them. They delighted in spending all their time together, exploring, imagining, talking and living in close quarters with each other.
George and Carol settled in Sarasota, Florida after their travels to care for Carol's mother, Ruth, in her last year of life. George adored Ruth and took excellent care of her with his tenderness on full display. He loved to make her laugh and would take them out on drives and pretend to fix his remaining hair with both hands off the wheel. Ruth would scold him from the backseat and smack his shoulder, and he'd laugh. She had no idea he was steering with his knees! George worked at the golf course there and loved it, especially because one perk was free golf! After Ruth died, they moved to Clarkesville, Georgia to be nearer to family.
George was a phenomenal golfer who, even throughout his 70s, shot below his age! He golfed his entire life, and constantly updated his clubs, golf ball choice, gloves, and shoes. He shot a hole in one (and had a plaque to prove it) and golf brought him so much joy. He cleaned his clubs after every game and always had a good day on the golf course, where it apparently never rains.
In Clarkesville, they belonged to a thriving community of friends. George worked at the golf club in Helen and drove a school bus for the local elementary school and the college sports teams. He belonged to a supper club, St. Mark's Catholic Church, golf league, served as an usher, a choir member and a member of the Knights of Columbus. They had a social calendar that would make the busiest millennials gasp.
George and Carol relocated to Webster, New York in 2021 to be nearer to family. Here he joined a golf league, participated in a choir, and made friends at the Eastside YMCA. He spent many happy days with Carol, Kara, his son-in-law, Robert, and his granddaughter, Story. They filled the days with quests knowing that his time for adventure was limited because of Alzheimer's Disease. He golfed until he was 85 years old, only missing out on the last two seasons.
George is survived by his wife of 55 years, Carol Eichler Chiappa Grasso; his sisters Ellie Benneche and Cindi Grasso Sowers; his children Denise Grasso, Russell Chiappa, Donna Grasso-Zoller (Mark Zoller), Gary Chiappa (Caryl Glaab), Anthony Grasso (Shannon Pfrunder), Michael Chiappa (Dawn Marie Chiappa) and Kara Grasso Veeder (Robert Veeder); his grandchildren Justin, Lindsay, Samantha, Jessica, Katie, Ricky, and Story; his great-grandchildren Amelia Rose and Anthony Max; his first wife, Alice Rothrock; many nieces, nephews, cousins, and extended family.
A funeral mass will be held at Holy Trinity Church, 1460 Ridge Road, Webster NY, 14580 on Monday, October 13, 2025 at 10:30 am. All are invited to attend.
In lieu of flowers, donations to a charity of your choice or a random act of kindness in George's memory would be most appreciated.