Donald J. Grenier, 81, passed away in Needham Dec. 8, 2013, from complications of Parkinson's Disease.
Born Dec. 7, 1932 to Paul A. and Florence (Blanchard) Grenier, Don attended Assumption Preparatory School and was awarded an ROTC scholarship to Worcester Polytechnic Institute, where he earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering while playing four years of Varsity football, basketball and baseball.
After graduating in 1955, he married Ann Kelly and they moved to Germany where he served his two-year tour of duty in the U.S. Army Signal Corps. Returning to Worcester, Don earned a master's in electrical engineering at WPI after which he and Ann relocated to Carmel, N.Y., where he took an engineering position with IBM and worked in the Poughkeepsie, Peekskill, Armonk and Boulder, Colo. divisions. In 1968, Don went out on his own and formed DonaldGrenier Corporation, a computer consulting, data processing, and fulfillment services organization that became a substantial Putnam County employer. Don sold the company in 1989 and became senior vice president of information technology at ACT Media in Norwalk, Conn. He formally retired in 1997.
Don served on and chaired the Carmel Planning Board; held a number of leadership positions, including president, with Carmel Rotary; was a Commissioner of Carmel Little League Baseball; Board member of the Mahopac Golf Club and a director of the Putnam Federal Credit Union. He also loved teaching computer literacy classes at SeniorNet. Don was an avid athlete and enjoyed playing many sports, including golf, tennis, squash, windsurfing, sailing and ice hockey. He was a loyal Red Sox fan. He was also an expert at cribbage and digging clams. Don and Ann, who passed away in 2003 after 47 years of marriage, enjoyed spending time at their home in Chatham with family and friends.
He is survived by his children Jacquie, Denise and her husband Gunner, Dan and his wife Valerie and Vincent and his wife Cindy; his grandchildren Colin, Kevin, Sheila, Kelly, Lane, Andrea, Vaughn, Richele, Sonja and Athena; and his siblings Connie Danti and John.
A wake will be held 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 4, 2014, at the Joseph Smith Funeral Home, Route 6, Mahopac, N.Y., followed by lunch and a celebration of Don's life at the Mahopac Golf Club that afternoon. Family and friends are invited to attend.
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In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions in his name be made to Partners with PARC, 31 International Blvd., Brewster, NY 10509, putnamarc.org.
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