Stories from the Wall: Francis Grantham, Navy Veteran

He was a very quiet man who lost his mother when he was 13 or 14 years old, according to Francis Grantham's daughter and Snellville resident Tricia Rawlins.

Raised by his grandmother, his children assumed he was introverted because of the early loss of his parents. After giving him a certificate in honor of his service to his country, and a tile on the Snellville Veterans Memorial, Rawlins realized that maybe, just maybe, it was his time in the Korean conflict that changed him.

"When I saw his face when he saw this," Rawlins said, referring to the certificate he received, "it brought to life what he had been holding in all these years."

The new Veterans Memorial, which will be completed in mid to late 2013, will be at the City Hall complex on Oak Road. The monument will include a wall of veterans, an eternal flame and a waterfall. Bricks went on sale Sept. 1, 2012, and can be purchased in honor of a veteran or current service member. 

Grantham joined the Navy when the Korean War started. He started off in California and was eventually stationed in Miami. He and Rawlins' mother were married in 1953. As their family grew, he "knew he need to leave the service and start his life," according to Rawlins, so he left the Navy and was hired by Southern Bell -- later called Bellsouth, then AT&T -- where he remained employed until his retirement in 1996. His work as an electrical engineer in the Navy transferred well to Bellsouth, although his work with sonar on the helicopters and ship contributed to his hearing loss later in life. 

As kids, Rawlins and her brother would travel to Mobile, Ala., and see the docked ships. Grantham would describe to them how he slept on a ship similar to the ones they saw, tell them about the bunk beds and daily life in the Navy, but never opened up about what it was like to sail away as a young man.

"He was a fisherman, a sportsman, a Braves fan, loved his family and grandchildren," Rawlins said. "His grandmother instilled responsibility in him and I think that’s why he felt he needed to go in the Navy -- it was his responsibility."

She attributes her mechanical skills to her father, reminiscing about the hours they spent together working on cars in their garage. It was something that bonded them. She is now a physical therapist, and she feels that she got a lot of the skills needed in that field from her father.

When his health started to fail, Rawlins left Snellville to be with him. He passed away on Jan. 13; on the 15th he would have been 81 years old. Before he passed, however, Mayor Pro Tem Tom Witts sent Rawlins and Grantham a certificate saying a tile had been purchased in his honor.

"He was always proud of his time in the Navy and it was very evident when I started seeing him cry when he opened that and looked at it and read it," Rawlins said. "I made sure that he knew the City Council wanted him to see this and know that his name would be there. He was very proud of that and will always appreciate what Tom did. He took an extra effort to get that to him.

"I saw my Dad cry like a baby, but with pride, when he knew that he would leave his name on the wall with fellow Veterans. If that brick meant that much to my Dad, think of these other Veteran's that have that emotion tucked away."

For more information on the Snellville Veterans Memorial, visit their website or Facebook page. 

If you would like to share your story through this column, contact Crystal.Huskey@patch.com.