Jerome Ronald Grattan

Jerome Ronald (Ron) Grattan, 65, died peacefully in his sleep Dec. 2, 2012, at JFK Medical Center Hospice in Atlantis, Fla., after a six-month battle with brain cancer.

Ron was born in New Brunswick, N.J., the son of Jerome F. and Lucille (Zak) Grattan. He had the good fortune to grow up in the rural Riva Avenue section of East Brunswick, N.J., where he hiked in the woods; walked to Farrington Lake to fish, boat and skate; rode his bike to the country store and delivered newspapers; played catch (football and baseball) with his dad and his siblings in the backyard; and cleared an overgrown field with his brothers and neighbors to create the neighborhood baseball field. He was the senior altar boy at the tiny Our Lady of Peace Church, affectionately known as the Little Chapel on the Highway, and he was a an enthusiastic Boy Scout. Ron was passionate about basketball — both playing and watching; he played at a competitive level well into his 50s.

Ron developed a lifelong affection for Southold, his father’s boyhood home, during many childhood visits to the family farm, where he collected eggs and played in the barn with his brothers and cousins. As an adult he returned to Southold on vacation frequently to visit relatives and the Grattan/Duffy homestead.

He graduated from East Brunswick High School in 1965 and from St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa., in 1969, of which he was a devoted alumnus. During the Vietnam War he proudly served in the U.S. Navy on the aircraft carrier USS Ranger. After his military service he was employed by IBM for 30 years in various capacities and subsequently as a recruiter for eData/Seisint for two years, The Sports Authority headquarters for two years and Pediatrix/Mednax for nine years.

Ron was predeceased by his father and a nephew. He is survived by his wife, Heather Collins Grattan; his mother; his siblings, James, David and his wife, Elzbieta, Timothy and his wife, Alexandra, Nancy Parisi, and Bernadine (Deenie) Eisler and her husband, Frank; two nephews; and four nieces.

Burial services were held privately in Florida. A memorial service will be held at Grace Community Church of Boca Raton, 600 W. Camino Real, Boca Raton, Fla., on Saturday, Jan. 26, at 3 p.m. A Mass in Ron’s memory will be held at St. Patrick Church, Southold, N.Y., on Saturday, June 1, at 11:30 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that a donation be made in Ron’s honor to his alma mater, St. Vincent College, 300 Fraser Purchase Road, Latrobe, PA 15650.

This is a paid notice.