Mesa – William (Bill) Evan Grider – 92, died Tuesday, May 2, 2017, at home after a lengthy illness. He leaves his wife of 22+ years, Mary (Adkins) Grider; his son, Robert (Nancy) Grider, his daughter, Lillian (Clarence) Six; three sisters, Doris Humphrey, Margarette Moore, and Mary Cox; one stepson (Lloyd Wallace) and 3 stepdaughters (Merele (Dave) Marshall, JoAnna (Dennis) Weber, and Tina (Tim) Poole) and many step grandchildren.
Born and raised along the Cumberland River, the son of Evan Earnest and Lizzy Ermine (Anderson) Grider, he was a 42+ year resident of Mesa. Having lost his father at an early age, he grew up quickly, serving as the man of the house; taking care of earning a living to support his mother and 8 children. He learned to work the river, fishing and hunting all he could. His determination to survive and provide, made his career choice easy knowing that he could provide for his family by joining the U.S. Army. He spent most of his adult life proudly serving his country. He is veteran of World War II, where he earned several medals, including the Bronze Star, the American Defense Medal, Presidential Unit Citation, WWII Victory Medal, the French Foreign Fourragère, and several Commendation Medals. After retiring from the Army, he served as a plant supervisor for 15 years at 3M. He was proceeded in death by his parents, 3 brothers (Henry, Walter, and Bobby), 1 sister (Audrey) and a beloved grandson, Gregory Alan Grider.
Visitation will be held on Monday, May 15, 2017, at 11:00am at Mountain View Funeral Home in Mesa with the funeral immediately following. He will be laid to rest at Mountain View Mortuary and Cemetery.