William Cole Grice
February 3, 1938 – March 19, 2017
We are all given two dates in our lifetime. They mark the beginning of our journey here on this earth and ending the day we go home to our creator. It is not a start or stop date, none of us come with an expiration bar code stamped on us. We begin a journey! When we visit our loved ones who have passed and look at their head stones we see these two dates and notice they are separated by a dash!
This dash is representing all that we experience between those two dates, our life’s journey. Cole Grice really made the most of his dash. We want to share with you his dash or at least some highlighted bits of it. He was born on February 3, 1938 to loving parents Maudie and Jim Grice. Cole’s love for his mother was deep; his whole life he was a mama’s boy. Cole was the youngest of three kids he love being the younger brother of Jimmie and Carolyn. He grew up in Apopka attending school all 12 years. Cole met the love of his life Jean when he was 20 years old and she was 18. They were married at his sister Carolyn’s home in Apopka. These two were meant to be together and shared their love story with us all and each other over fifty eight years.
Cole and Jean blessed each other and the world with their children – Lori and Bill. Being a father was a role he embraced and cherished. Cole was a hands-on father. He was not a spectator in his kids' and grandkids' lives; he was a participant. He loved spending time with them taking them fishing, hunting, going to their school events and supporting them in their dreams. He loved coaching Little League baseball and took the kids he coached on Kwajalein to the World Series. He himself played semi-pro baseball until a shoulder injury ended that career and he started his favorite one, that of being a Dad. Cole was a family man and loving his kids came easy for him and when they blessed him with grandkids he was ready for that role. He loved being a father and grandfather and showed it every day through his unconditional love and support. Cole took being a provider, husband, father and grandfather seriously. He knew that God had blessed him with an amazing wife and mother for their kids. He loved Jean with all his heart. He made sure she knew that every day of their lives together. He not only told her but he showed her through his actions. He always put her, the kids, and his family first before himself. His biggest challenge in his life was when he felt he could not help them through any of their struggle’s, if he could not kiss it and make it better for them it weighed heavy on him.
Cole was a Christian man; he loved the Lord. He served as a Deacon in several churches he called home over the years. One of his proudest moments was when his grandson, Spencer asked his Papa to baptize him. This meant so much to Cole, who so loved the Lord to know his grandson wanted to dedicate his life and have his Papa be the one to perform this special dedication was a life event for us all.
Out of high school Cole started his work career with Western Electric and ended his career with forty four years of service at Lockheed Martin Corporation. Being a provider for his wife and family was something he took seriously and did it very well. He worked and went to night school to advance himself. He accomplished many things in his professional career.
Cole loved to hunt and fish and some of his favorite fishing and hunting buddies were his brother Jimmie, Lori and Bill, granddaughter Amanda and his grandson Spencer. He enjoyed golfing and was an excellent golfer. He cherished the memories he and Jean made together with their kids and grandkids. He was their biggest fan each of them could always count on looking out at the audience or in the stands and see Dad/ Papa there clapping for them and beaming with pride. He made family events a priority and his wife his princess. Cole loved country music and one of his favorite songs Willie Nelson's “Hello Walls” was extra special because he loved to sing it with his granddaughter Amanda, when she was little. He was a huge Merle Haggard fan and shared his love of music with his kids and grandkids.
There is so much that happened where his dash stands. So many things he accomplished and stood for as a person. We have all heard that faith, hope and love are the greatest gifts. Well, Cole believed that and he showed them to all of those who knew him. The greatest gift he shared here on this earth was his undying love and devotion to his wife, Jean. His dedication to services in the church and his “always there for you” attitude for family and friends made their mark on so many. He wanted us to all love each other and make sure we told each other and to make time for family and memories. Those who were blessed to know Cole knew he was a true friend, an honest and kind man, a loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, and son. Cole made his DASH count and he would want us all to do the same. He will be missed but never forgotten.