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Rauber Hill Sunrise, by Mel Hunt

C. William Grastorf Jr., St. Petersburg, FL, formerly of Wellsville

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C. William Grastorf, Jr., “Bill”, 89, of St. Petersburg, FL, died on Saturday, January 15, 2022, after a long illness.

He was born on December 6, 1932, in Wellsville, N.Y. the son of C. William and R. Marie Cornwell Grastorf.

He graduated from Wellsville High School in 1950 and the University of Rochester in 1954, where he earned a degree in finance.

On June 25, 1955, in Wellsville, he married his high school sweetheart, Jean E. Hancock.

After graduation he was hired by the telephone company as the manager of their Hamburg, N.Y. office. He entered the U.S. Army in 1956. Because of his skills with numbers and problem-solving, he was tapped to serve in the cryptography section. After further time in the States at Ft. Gordon, GA, The Pentagon, and Ft. Sheridan, IL, he was posted to finish his service in Formosa. His duties there were with the Military Advisory Aid Group to China in support of Chiang Kai-shek, the former leader of the Nationalist Party in China.

After his service, he worked in the finance field. The brokerage firm Merrill Lynch offered a training program. He moved to Florida where he worked in their St. Petersburg office for four years. Returning to his hometown of Wellsville, NY for several years, he and Daniel P Gridley served as associates of the Buffalo office of Doolittle and Company. He finished his career as an associate of the Buffalo firm of S.C. Parker. In Wellsville he served on various boards including the Jones Memorial Hospital and the Exchange Club. He was a long-time member of the Wellsville Golf Club.

In 1980, he and his wife Jean moved to Florida. He loved to travel, and they enjoyed trips to Africa, Europe, Greece, Panama, the Caribbean islands, and most of the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii. He was an avid photographer and took many wonderful photographs and videos of their ventures. For recreation, he enjoyed golfing, trips to the beach, and solving acrostic puzzles and the New York Times crossword.

 He is survived by his wife, Jean, daughter, Jean Marie, and son-in-law, Robert S. Wilhelm, Jr., of St. Petersburg, FL, one brother, John (Rosemarie) Grastorf, of Clemmons, NC, two sisters, Donna (Edward) Sroka of St. Petersburg, FL, and Mary (Galen) Buchholz of Wellsville, NY, a brother-in-law, Robert T. (Sonoma) Hancock of Urbana, OH, and several nieces and nephews.

Bill and his family were members of the Congregational Church of Wellsville and the Pilgrim Congregational United Church of Christ in St Petersburg, whose members welcomed him with love and support. His final time in the Menorah Manor was eased with the care of the devoted nurses and staff who are dedicated to their patients’ wellbeing.

There will be a service at the convenience of the family. Donations, should they be desired, could include the donor’s favorite animal rescue service or the Alzheimer Association.

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