Edwin’s Obituary Edwin A. Grebitus Jr. passed away peacefully at home under the care and support of his family. He was born in Sacramento, California and upon graduation from Sacramento High School, Ed enlisted in the Navy in June 1944. He served in the South Pacific as an expert in ship repair and communications with the Seabees through May 1946.
After his honorable discharge, he enrolled in UC Berkeley’s School of Business. Ed became a member of Chi Phi Fraternity and was a spirited supporter his entire life. While at Cal, Ed fell in love with Elizabeth “Beth” Breuner and, after graduation, they were married on September 2, 1950.
They made Sacramento their home and were blessed with six children. Ed joined his father in the family business, Grebitus Jewelers, opening a second location and eventually becoming the company’s President. He was a strong believer in supporting his community and was involved in many civic and philanthropic organizations.
He served on the Board of Directors for the Sutter Hospital Foundation, Sacramento County Taxpayers Association, Sacramento Chamber of Commerce, Sacramento 20-30 Club, Downtown Plaza Merchants Association, Sacramento Downtown Association, YMCA and Camellia Festival Association. He was a Life Member of the Sutter Club and, at 92 years old, was still an enthusiastic member of the Rotary Club. He joined the Arden Arcade Rotary in 1962 and moved to the Downtown Sacramento Rotary Club in 1978.
He served on the Board of Directors and was an Eddie Mulligan Fellow and a Paul Harris Fellow. Being the father of six children, Ed had a very active family life. He could be found sailing with his “crew” on the waters of Lake Tahoe, the Sacramento Delta or San Francisco Bay.
He shared his enthusiasm for skiing, hiking, jeeping and camping throughout the Sierras and spent many hours attending his children’s sporting events, including baseball, basketball, football, soccer, gymnastics, ski racing, crew, swimming and horse shows. When they could get away, Ed and Beth were avid travelers and visited many countries around the world. They especially enjoyed their time with friends and family in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and the north shore of Maui.
Ed is preceded in death by his wife of 57 years, Beth. He is survived by his six children, Ted Grebitus (Peach), Tom Grebitus (Rene), Bill Grebitus (Jennifer), Bo Grebitus (Elaine), Kate Grebitus and Amy Goodheart (Ross); his ten grandchildren, eleven great-grandchildren and his “newest best friend” of nine years, Kay Wood, with whom he enjoyed never-ending laughter and a lively social schedule. The family would like to thank the Sutter Hospice team for their guidance and care.
We also wish to express our gratitude for the love and compassion shown by Lanieta, Taitusi, Vaseva and Viliame from Fijian Caregivers. A celebration of Ed’s life will be held at Trinity Cathedral Church, on Wednesday, May 29 at 11:00am, 2620 Capital Avenue, Sacramento, with Parking at Sutter Community Garage, 2701 N Street. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that memorial donations be sent to The Rotary Club of Sacramento Foundation, 1451 River Park Dr., Suite 120, Sacramento, CA 95815.
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