John Luigi Grillo was born on April 29, 1931 in Watertown, Massachusetts, the son of Sicilian immigrants Giovanni and Josephine Grillo. John lived in Massachusetts much of his life, moving to Palm Beach County, Florida after the blizzard of 1979 where he resided until 2018. In 2018 he moved to Minnesota to live with his daughter Jo-Ann and her family for his remaining years.
Family came first for John. His major joy in life was spending time with his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was also passionate about cooking, making his family’s favorite meals, and cooking for large gatherings such as ones at the Natick Assembly Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
John was a very good dancer and won many awards throughout the years for his smooth style. Music was his greatest comfort and he would often sing or hum along. He also enjoyed working with machines from TVs, watches, bicycles, to even repairing kidney dialysis machines for clinics.
He graduated from high school in Massachusetts and joined the Navy as a reservist shortly after.
He will be deeply missed by his wife of 58 years, Carol Grillo of Greenacres, FL; daughter, Lee Ann (Fred) Haraldson of Melbourne, FL; daughter, Pamela Jayne (Kenny) Arnold of Okeechobee, FL; daughter, Jo-Ann (Kevin) Nelson of Thief River Falls; daughter, Michelle Grillo Sothen (Preston) of Ormond Beach, FL; sister, Mary Dudley of Nashua, NH; grandchildren, Robert, Nick, Amanda, Kevin II, Caitlyn, Donna, James, Danielle; and great-grandchildren, Rob, Brianna, Levi, Jessalynn, Leona, Connor, Kenneth, and Isabelle.
A celebration of life will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, January 21, 2023 at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Thief River Falls.
John is preceded in death by his father, Giovanni; mother, Josephine; brothers, John, Joe, Larry, and Marty.
Condolences may be sent at www.johnsonfuneralservice.com.
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John Grillo, 91
