Grenville A. Hallam
1924-2024
Grenville A. Hallam, age 99, of Berkeley Springs, W.Va., passed away on July 1, 2024.
Grenville, fondly known as Gren or Alfie, was born to Alfred and May Hallam on September 17, 1924 in Long Eaton, Nottingham, England.
In 1941, at the age of 17, he joined the British Navy as a radio operator. His unit was attached to a Canadian fighting force that was involved in the early attack at Normandy Beach, on what we know as D-Day.
After leaving the service, he married his long-time sweetheart, Jean, in All Saints Church in Swaley, England. Jean preceded him in death on April 26, 2010. With jobs being hard to come by after the war, the decision was made for him to move to America, which he did in March of 1951, with his loving wife and son following him the next year. They settled in New Jersey and remained there until moving to West Virginia in 2001.
Gren always appreciated his long life and the companionship it brought him over the years. He was a hard worker who knew nothing was to be handed to him, and always felt he was a “blue collar worker.” He valued the small town quality of Berkeley Springs, yet always thought it lacked in one thing-a good bakery.
To honor Gren’s memory, a Celebration of Life will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, September 17, 2024 at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 180 S. Washington Street, Berkeley Springs, W.Va. This would have been his 100th birthday.
Online condolences may be expressed at www.helsleyjohnsonfh.com.
Arrangements are being handled by Helsley-Johnson Funeral Home & Cremation Center, 95 Union Street, Berkeley Springs, WV.