George Michael “Mike” Grimsley passed away at age 78 on Dec. 10, 2018 surrounded by loved ones in Smithfield.

Mike was born on Oct. 26, 1940, in Hampton to George David and Mildred Slater Grimsley. He is survived by Roberta A. Grimsley (Bobbi), his loving wife of 50 years. Mike was a devoted father and grandfather and will be lovingly remembered by his son, Brian (wife Stacey), and their daughter Olivia of Williamsburg, his son Doug (wife Paula), and their three daughters Rachel, Maddie and Caroline of Pittsburgh, Penn., and his daughter Jennifer Grimsley Michaeli (husband Sagiv), and their son Elan and daughter Avia of Smithfield. He will also be lovingly remembered by his brother, David S. Grimsley (wife Lynn) of Yorktown, and their family.  

Mike was born and raised in Hampton and graduated from Idaho Falls High School in Idaho Falls, Idaho in 1958.  He attended and graduated from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 1962 with a degree in naval architecture; serving in the corps of cadets and continued to serve with honor as a naval officer in the Vietnam War.  He started his professional career at Electric Boat in Groton, Conn. and continued his career with 35 years of service at Newport News Shipbuilding.  Mike loved spending time with his family and friends, to share a story, a laugh and a pint of Guinness.  His favorite past times were playing tennis and sailing, especially on his wooden daysailer, Woodwind, which he handcrafted. 

Services will be held at the Peninsula Funeral Home in Newport News on Friday Dec. 14, 5 p.m. with a reception to follow at Smithfield Station in Smithfield. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be sent to Alzheimer’s Association (www.alz.org) to advance research towards finding a cure for Alzheimer’s and dementia.  

The family would like to express their sincere gratitude to the staff at Riverside Healthy Living Community and Riverside Hospice for their thoughtful, loving care.