John Emmett Grady

John Emmett Grady, 80, died peacefully on October 6, 2025, after a lengthy battle with MDS.

A native of Chicago, John earned bachelor's and master's degrees in communications research from the University of Illinois where he was a proud member of the Daily Illini Newspaper staff as well as a hockey and baseball player.

In 1967, he joined the United States Air Force serving as an intelligence officer during the Viet Nam Conflict.

After leaving the Air Force, John taught journalism at Penn State University. In 1976, he became managing editor of The Daily Press in Newport News, VA. In 1986, he relocated to Fairfax VA and continued his career in journalism, serving as managing editor for Navy Times. In 1993, John became Communications Director for the Association of the United States Army from which he retired in 2010.

John was a published biographer and historian and was a frequent lecturer at historical and military conferences. In 2015, he published Matthew Fontaine Maury, Father of Oceanography, a nominee for the Library of Virginia's 2016 nonfiction award. He contributed to Sea History, Naval History, the New York Times "Disunion" series, and Civil War Monitor. He was a blogger for the US Navy's sesquicentennial of the Civil War web site. His later work has appeared on USNI.org, BreakingDefense, and Government Executive. At the end of his life, he was revising a biography of John Yates Beall. In retirement, John spoke at the North American Society for Oceanic History, the Banner Lecture Series of the Virginia Historical Society, and the Great Lives series at Mary Washington University. He also lectured at the Navy Museum, Navy Memorial, Museum of the Confederacy, Mariners Museum, the Maritime Museum of Annapolis, and other organizations and institutions interested in naval and Civil War history.

John built lifelong friendships, many spanning decades. He never lost his dynamic personality, or love of life. John was a spirited conversationalist to the end. He never failed to write or to tell a good story.

John was predeceased by his first wife, Anne PC Born Grady, and by his parents, Katherine and Emmett Grady. His wife, Lillian Grady, his daughter Katherine Grady (Thomas Duffner), his stepson Christopher Garrity (Andrea), and three grandchildren-Emmeline Duffner, Sarah, and Ryan Garrity-survive him. Additional survivors include his sister Nora Weber (Robert), brother-in-law Howard Born (Anne), a niece, and four nephews.

A Celebration of Life will be held on November 1, from 12:00PM until 2:00 PM at Fairfax Memorial Park, 9902 Braddock Rd, Fairfax, VA 22032. Internment with military honors will immediately follow.

Memorial Contributions may be made to The Daily Illini, or the MDS Foundation. https://illinimedia.org/donate/