Tributes

Grenville Hyland Foote “Gren” of Gladwyne, PA. Sadly we announce the loss of a one-of-a-kind loving man on March 28th. Gren will be forever missed by his loving wife of 52 years, Anne, five children, five grandchildren and many friends and relatives. His beautiful tenor singing voice will echo through our hearts forever. Gren will be remembered as a devoted husband, father and grandfather. He was friendly, easy to strike up a conversation with, and quick to laugh. He could be very competitive during sports and family games, but was a real sentimental softie at heart. He had a love for music and could always be heard humming a tune no matter what he was up to. Most of all, Gren loved being surrounded by his family. Born February 11, 1935 in Philadelphia to Andrew Giraud Foote and Susan Hanna Foote, he was a lifelong Montgomery County resident. He grew up in Merion and graduated from Lower Merion High School in 1952. He was a graduate of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania with a BS in Economics in 1956. At UPenn, he was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity and served 4 years in the NROTC. During his 6-week Midshipman summer training course/cruise he bumped into Ernest Hemingway in a bar and got his autograph on a cocktail napkin while in Havana, Cuba! After graduation he served his 2 active-duty years in Naval Intelligence for the Potomac River Naval Command in Washington DC, with honorable discharge in 1958. Gren started his career at The Frieden Calculating Company selling paper tape operated calculating machines. He then entered the computer industry with RCA Victor in Camden programming binary code on the RCA 501 large scale computer. He continued as a macro programmer analyst at Remington Rand Univac and finished hiscareer at Unisys for sales in the data entry systems marketplace. Although he was hesitant to move into sales due to his lifelong stutter, he surpassed his own expectations, becoming a national award-winning top salesman for many years. Gren grew up at Overbrook Presbyterian Church where he was proud to be the youngest member of the Ushers Association. He later became a member of The Ardmore Presbyterian Church for over 60 years where he was a Deacon, an usher, a longtime member of the choir, and an active volunteer in a wide variety of church activities. One of Gren’s loves was music. Besides singing in the church choir, he performed with Mask and Wig at UPenn (a highlight was a performance on The Ed Sullivan Show), was a member and president of the University Glee Club of Philadelphia and sang in The Beaumont at Bryn Mawr Retirement Community Chorus. He and his wife Anne were longtime subscribers to the Philadelphia Orchestra and Associate Members of the Orpheus Club. He was an avid sports fan. He would listen to and/or watch just about any sport, any time, but most of all was a faithful fan of all Philly teams. He was a committed tennis player, zealous even, always eager to pick up a game. He was a member of Germantown Cricket Club, Philadelphia Country Club, and played in several local leagues. He loved the competition and has many trophies to prove it. He was also a determined runner. He ran three NYC marathons and three Penn Relays marathons. Gren loved to travel and was notorious for trying to pack in as many sites as he could on family vacations. As a child he spent his summers in Cape May NJ and always loved documenting daily ocean swims as well as sunrises and sunsets. Discovering a love of E-bikes in his 80’s, he enjoyed three Bike and Barge trips through Europe with different family members, taking his last big trip at age 87. He was a Penn Alumni volunteer, attended Penn Brothers luncheons and was a member of the American Legion Post # 545 at the Merion Tribute House. One of his most recent and proudest accomplishments was writing a book of autobiographical essays. He enjoyed the process of digging through his family archives to add detail and depth to his writing. Gren was predeceased by his parents and 3 siblings, Andrew Foote, Suzanne Hanna Smith, Gilbert C. Foote, and his first wife Sandra Stahler Foote. Surviving Gren are his wife Anne, 5 children: Louise Foote Houck (Bruce Houck), Lynda Foote Haldeman (David Haldeman), Alick Foote (Denise Dignam), Lisa Foote, Amy Foote (Ana Egge), and his 5 granddaughters Bridget, Tess, Emily and Allie Foote, and Roxy Egge. A Memorial Service will be held at Ardmore Presbyterian Church at 11:00 AM June 15th, 2024 preceded by a private interment at Westminster Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Ardmore Presbyterian Church, 5 W Montgomery Ave, and/or the American Heart Association, heart.org.

Tributes

Grenville Hyland Foote

February 11, 1935 - March 28, 2024