In Memoriam - JoAnn McCrary Grindinger

JoAnn Grindinger is the mother of Tom '72, Dennis '75, Steve '77, Jim '79, and Kent '83 Grindinger.

She is the grandmother of Andrew Grindinger '08.

During her years at Jesuit Dallas she worked as the Assistant to the President and Assistant to the Alumni Director.

Please keep the family in your thoughts and prayers.

JoAnn McCrary Grindinger

JoAnn McCrary Grindinger, born on July 9, 1931, spent the war years living with her grandparents on their Marysville Kansas farm, while her father, Kenneth B. McCrary, served in the South Pacific and her mother, Kathleen, worked in Kansas City. On August 3, 2018, she passed peacefully in the company of several of her children. After the war, JoAnn returned to the family home in Kansas City, MO to complete her Catholic education at Loretto Academy. While at Loretto, she skated competitively and became an accomplished pianist. At 17, JoAnn performed with the Kansas City Symphony. JoAnn married Thomas J. Grindinger in 1950 and eventually they moved from Kansas City to Dallas. As an only child, JoAnn wanted a large family and raised six children, five sons and one daughter: Tommy, Kathi, Dennis, Steven, Jimmy and Kent. As a mother, JoAnn rarely used the words, "You must." Instead she challenged her children with "You can." She was tireless, and, attending hundreds of sporting events, cared little about the final score, but more about who was hurt. With many of her sons playing football, she routinely removed stitches at the kitchen table and one time removed a plaster cast with a pair of gardening shears. If she had mothering flaws, which might include the ham "salad" that was an unsavory mixture of food found in the refrigerator, then they were easily forgiven, because, without reservation, she loved and protected her children as a fierce mother lion. For twenty years JoAnn worked as Jesuit's Alumni Secretary; and there she supported and encouraged hundreds of boys as they matured into men. If Jesuit's motto is "Men for Others," then she was certainly a "Woman for Others." Mom was the life of any family gathering. She was known to throw post game parties at a moment's notice. She was our family's center and took great pride and joy watching her family grow larger over the years. In addition to her six children, she leaves behind five daughters-in-law - Shannon, Catherine, Sue, Chrissy and Kelly and one son-in-law, Larry Jones, sixteen grandchildren and eight great grandchildren. We now take comfort that the magnitude of our loss will be mitigated by the happy memories of our beloved Grandma Jojo.

A memorial service celebrating JoAnn's life will be held at St. Rita Catholic Church in Dallas at 11 am on Tuesday, August 14. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made in JoAnn Grindinger's memory to the Jesuit Memorial Fund at Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas, 12345 Inwood Road, Dallas TX. 75244.