Dr. Gifford Grimm, 91, passed away Jan. 16 at Riverview Hospital, Red Bank. He was born May 24, 1928, in East Orange to Marjorie Gifford Grimm and George Washington Grimm Jr. He graduated from East Orange High School in 1946 and earned a B.A. in Biology from Brown University in 1950. Two months after his graduation from Brown, Gifford married his high school sweetheart, Joan Powell Grimm. They were together for over 70 years, until her death in 2014.
Gifford went on to study medicine at the University of Pennsylvania where he received his medical degree in 1954 and completed his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology in 1958. He then served several years in the Army, after being deferred during the Korean War for his medical training. He served at Fort Bragg as a general surgeon and, during his time there, he delivered over 5,000 babies. In 1960, Gifford was deployed as a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) surgeon, attending to casualties in the aftermath of multiple earthquakes in Chile.
After his honorable discharge, Dr. Grimm moved his young family back to New Jersey. He joined Monmouth County Associates in Neptune where he was a practicing obstetrician and gynecologist for 53 years, retiring in 2013. He treasured his affiliation with Jersey Shore University Medical Center where he earned the respect of his colleagues and patients during his tenure.
Gifford was also a member of the Masons for 65 years and a member of Tower Hill Presbyterian Church for 70 years. Through the church he volunteered to make and distribute meals for the homeless every week and regularly attended Bible studies class. He was also a proud member of the Root Beer and Checker Club for the last five years.
Gifford and his wife Joan had many hobbies together and especially enjoyed driving their Icelandic Ponies at exhibitions with the Garden State Horse and Carriage Society. They also loved boating and Gifford was always happiest when he was on the water. He was a member of the U.S. Power Squadron and the Shrewsbury Navigators Club and he owned many boats during his lifetime. He was an avid sailor and, in 1978, sailed his own sailboat from New Jersey to Bermuda with his brother-in-law and his son Ian. In recent years, he spent every Saturday on the Shrewsbury River, boating with his son Peter.
Gifford is survived by his four children: Peter Grimm and his wife Amy Grimm of Red Bank; Dr. Ian Grimm and his wife Dr. Theresa Raphael-Grimm of Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Dr. Susan Grimm and her husband Rick Alkire of Wooster, Ohio; and Andrew Grimm and his wife Lori Grimm of Berea, Ohio. He is also survived by his treasured grandchildren: Jonathan Grimm, Sarah Grimm and her husband Eric Amling, Jarrett Grimm-Vavlitis and her husband Michael Vavlitis, Reed Grimm, Heidi Zacher, Timothy Zacher and Kayleigh Grimm. He has one great-grandchild, Finley Zacher.
John E. Day Funeral Home, Red Bank, is handling arrangements. Interment will be private. There was a memorial service Jan. 20 at Tower Hill Presbyterian Church, Red Bank.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations to Tower Hill Presbyterian Church, 255 Harding Road, Red Bank, NJ.
Please visit Gifford’s memorial website at johnedayfuneralhome.com.
