Charles Griswold

Charlie passed away peacefully surrounded by family on Sunday, December 20, 2020. Charlie was born in Jackson, Michigan in 1933 to Warner and Winifred Griswold. Charlie met his wife, Claire, in Key West in 1954 while he was stationed at the Boca Chica Naval Air Station. After Charlie was discharged from the Navy, he followed Claire to New Jersey and they married June 29,1957 and started a family. Charlie obtained a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Newark College of Engineering and later went on to receive an MBA from Rider University. After many years of working in and commuting to Wall Street, Charlie finally retired from The D.E. Shaw Group in 1999.

After being “snowbirds” for many years, traveling between the Florida Keys and Long Beach island, Charlie and Claire made the Florida Keys their permanent residence in 2015. Charlie spent his days enjoying time with Clarie, his family, and his dog, Gracie; as well as, fishing, eating his favorite fresh seafood, especially oysters, feeding the birds, and watching the sunset with a martini or glass of wine. Later in his life, Charlie’s main passion was genealogy. He loved spending time finding out about his family’s ancestry; his eyes would light up talking about all the interesting facts that he discovered.

He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Claire; his sister, Barbara Johnston, and his brother, Barney Griswold (Candace); his children: Charlie Griswold (Jan), Meg Ham ( Wayne), Steve Griswold (Linda), and John Griswold (Karen), and his grandchildren: Laura, Jack, Morgan, Abbey, and Ian.

In light of the current COVID19 situation, a memorial service will be planned by the family at a future date. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Upper Keys Humane Society or the Florida Keys SPCA.