Matthew B. Grippi

Matthew B. Grippi, 81, of Arden, died Tuesday, April 9, 2024 at Mission Hospital. He was born in Brooklyn, NY and raised in Hasbrouck Heights, NJ. Matt was preceded in death by his mother and father, Isidoro and Concetta Grippi and a nephew, Tony Wicker.
Matt is survived by three sisters, Rosalie Grippi of New Port Richey, Florida, Josephine Grippi Wicker of Arden, NC and Janice Grippi Juhlin also of Arden, NC; a niece, Denise Wicker Owen and her husband, John of Sumter, SC; a great niece, Dan, of Sumter; a great nephew, Derek Owen and his wife, Allison and their son, Ren Owen of Lexington, SC. He also leaves behind some of his best friends, Leslie Young of Bergenfield, NJ, Bob and Raye Ellen Cooke of Massachusetts and a friend, Brother John Huebner of Fairview, NC as well as his friends from Corpus Christi class of 1956.
Matt loved animals and he had a few cats during his lifetime. He leaves his current cats in the custody of his sister, Janice. He also loved Janice's dog Spirit and insisted on spoiling her as much as he could.
During his early years, he loved to read and to tease his sisters! After high school he studied at the University of Dayton, Ohio. After that, he enlisted in the Army and served for five years. He came home and studied at William Patterson Collage in Patterson, NJ after which he became a teacher and a soccer coach at Dwight-Morrow High School in Englewood, NJ. He made many life-long friends throughout the thirty years he taught there.
After retirement, Matt enjoyed working for Barns and Noble where he surrounded himself with the things he loved: BOOKS! He was well versed in many subjects - US government, politics, languages, travel, art, history and nature. Matt graced people of all ages with a beautiful tenor voice and often sang in choirs and community choral groups in NJ and later in NC. He sang a solo at his high school graduation: Panis Angelicus (in Latin). Matt enjoyed donating to several non-profits throughout the years.
A Celebration of Life will be held at 2:00 PM on Saturday, June 1, 2024 at Calvary Episcopal Church in Fletcher, NC.
Groce Funeral Home at Lake Julian is assisting his family.