Betty Lu Grune

Betty Lu Grune
Betty Lu Albert Grune, 93, of Ponte Vedra Beach, FL passed away peacefully on Thursday, August 17, 2023, surrounded by her loving family. A beloved wife, mother, grandmother and friend-she exuded enthusiasm and a caring interest in all she met. Her extraordinary ability to write, listen and motivate provided immeasurable support to those close to her.
Born in San Francisco, CA, to distinguished US Navy Chaplain, Captain Francis Lee Albert and Frances Olson Albert, Betty Lu lived in numerous US and International locations and ultimately moved to Jacksonville, FL where she graduated from (now) Riverside High School, in the Riverdale-Avondale neighborhood. She graduated from Duke University (1951, B.A. English), where she met her husband of 62 years, George V. Grune (1929-2013), and was a member of Pi Beta Phi sorority.
After marrying George in 1952, the Grunes lived in several places, most recently Fox Chapel, PA, and then Westport, CT (for 33 years). Betty Lu was active in the Westport Newcomers Club, PTA, Westport Garden Club, and served as President of her beloved PEO (Westport Chapter). Settling in Ponte Vedra Beach in 1989, Betty Lu and George actively supported the Jacksonville Symphony, Cummer Museum, Players by the Sea and Boys & Girls Club of Northeast Florida.
Through the years Betty Lu was a vibrant participant in many events in New York City and around the world supporting her husband, the former Chairman/CEO of the Reader's Digest Association. Most important to her was raising her three sons and spending time with their families. She connected family and friends together by sending letters full of motivational quotes and humor. She was known to ask and remember minute details about the lives of people around her until her very last days.
Betty Lu was predeceased by her husband, George V. Grune and siblings, Virginia May (Achtmeyer) Adams, Fern Marie Atkin and Francis Lee Albert, Jr. She is survived by three sons and daughters-in-law and nine grandchildren: George Jr. and Judy Grune (Fox Chapel, PA) with children, Heather, Lindsey and George III; Robert and Joan Grune (Ponte Vedra Beach, FL) with children, Alexandra, Robert Jr. and Jordan; and Steven and Nancy Grune (Darien, CT) with children, Steven Jr., Natalie and Kevin.
A service to celebrate the life of Betty Lu Grune will be held at a later date to be determined at the Palms Presbyterian Church, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Please visit her online Tribute at www.quinn-shalz.com. Arrangements by Quinn-Shalz Family Funeral Home, Jacksonville Beach, FL.