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Dr. William Luther Grenoble, IV, "Skip," 79, of State College, Pa., passed away peacefully in his home on May 22, 2022. He was born in Lock Haven, Pa., on Jan. 28, 1943, to Miriam Clark Grenoble and William "Bill" Grenoble.
Skip graduated from Princeton University (BA, 1964), Columbia University (MBA, 1971), and Pennsylvania State University (PhD., 1994).
Skip married Prudence Johnson on Sept. 22, 1979, in their home in San Francisco, Calif., and together they had three children, Kirsten Grenoble (MBA), William Grenoble, V (MA), and Jacob Grenoble (MSA) (Natalie); and six grandchildren, Carter (14), William, VI (12), Wyatt (11), Genevieve (10), Bennett (6), and Juliana (3) (Degrees TBD).
Growing up in Lock Haven, Skip left to attend Princeton University. Following graduation, Lieutenant Grenoble honorably served in the United States Navy on the USS Basilone (DD-824) during the Vietnam War, also serving as a Communications Officer stationed in Saigon. He finished his Naval service in Nea Makri, Greece. After his honorable discharge from the Navy, Skip attended Columbia University in NYC.
Following graduation, he worked for McKesson Corporation where he attained the title of Vice President. He moved to San Francisco when McKesson relocated their corporate headquarters where he continued to excel working for Skaggs-Stone and Garden America (a division of Weyerhaeuser).
The quest for knowledge and higher education was ingrained in Skip by his parents and has been passed to his children and grandchildren. Reading was instrumental in gaining as much information as possible. He was working to complete reading works by all Nobel Laureate authors.
In 1987 Skip and family moved to State College, Pa., for Skip to attend Pennsylvania State University College of Business Administration (now Smeal College). He was awarded his PhD in 1994 while he and Dr. John Coyle created the Center for Supply Chain Research. This very successful center is flourishing to this day with more than 45 elite sponsors. There is a bench in Skip's honor in the courtyard outside the Smeal College with the dedication: "FOR BRINGING ACADEMIA & INDUSTRY TOGETHER FROM THE CSCR FRIENDS OF DR. SKIP GRENOBLE." Accolades and awards attributable to Skip's skills in Logistics and Supply Chain are too numerous to list. Corporate respect and acknowledgement were demonstrated with this bench.
His joy outside of work was his family: Prudence, his children and grandchildren. He ensured that they traveled and explored everywhere and anytime it was possible. Skip was a master of fun and good times, and all who knew him truly appreciated his humor and the way he could bring lightness to the day. The friendships he made throughout his life spread across the world.
Skip was a quiet man of measured words, a mental genius who was loved and respected for his kindness and generosity.
He is survived by his wife, children and grandchildren, as well as his brother, Dr. Dane C. Grenoble (Zlata), Texas; and sister, Marjorie K. Esenwine (John), West Virginia. He was preceded in death by his parents.
The family wants to give their thanks to the caring individuals who provided help throughout Skip's battle with Parkinson's Disease: Brian Querry (VA), Dr. Jeanne Lumadue, Dr. Xuemei Huang, Dr. J. Qiu, Dr. Sara Ferguson, caregivers (including Judy, Alessandro and Erin), LifeLink and his trusty Golden Retriever companion dog, Lexi.
Services in Skip's honor will be held at Arlington National Cemetery on Nov. 20, 2023.
Donations may be made in "Memory of Dr. William L. Grenoble IV" to any of the following:
Penn State Neurology: Penn State University Development, P.O. Box 852, Hershey, PA 179033;
Princeton Cannon Dial Elm Foundation (PCDEF), P.O. Box 7788, Princeton, NJ 08543-7788; or
Princeton University Class of '64 Scholarship Fund, Princeton, NJ 08544