Jan Richardson Gribb Obituary (1943 - 2009)

Born Aug 31, 1943, Jan Richardson Gribb attended Camp Hill High School in Camp Hill, PA. View the obituary, post a memory, or share a photo about Jan Richardson Gribb.

Graduation Year	Class of 1962
Date of Birth	Aug 31, 1943
Date of Passing	Jan 05, 2009
About	Jan R. Gribb BEAUFORT, SC - Jan R. Gribb, 65, departed this life on January 5, 2009 at her home in Beaufort, South Carolina after a long illness. Jan was born on August 31, 1943 in Camp Hill, PA. She was the daughter of the late George and Ann Richardson. After her father returned from the war, she lived in Pennington, NJ and Baltimore, MD before returning to Camp Hill as an adolescent. She graduated from Camp Hill High School, studied art at Harcum College in Bryn Mawr, PA and design at the New York School of Interior Design in NYC. After a brief career working for Scalamandre Silks in New York City, Jan married her high school boyfriend in 1966. Her career henceforth focused on decorating, cooking, homemaking, art and entertaining. As their business life moved the Gribb family from Fort Bragg, NC, through Springfield, MA, Greenfield, MA, Pittsfield, MA, Rockport, ME, Hallowell, ME, Newburyport, MA to Beaufort, SC, Jan touched the lives of many people with her joyful personality and elegant, small dinner parties. Jan's interest and talent in restoring and decorating early nineteenth century homes allowed her and her husband to transform diamonds in the rough into warm and welcoming venues that provided wonderful stages for her entertaining. Jan's interest in dance, music and travel was limitless. As an accomplished classical ballerina, she obviously loved the ballet but could move to the beat of all popular music. Chamber music was her favorite for listening but her interests spanned from jazz to the strange ethnic sounds of the East. Whether just an overnight at a fine hotel in Charleston or a train ride on the Orient Express to her favorite place, Venice, Italy, traveling was her favorite investment with its dividends of memories lasting for a lifetime. She loved cats and kept Siamese as companions throughout her lifetime. Jan was a voracious reader of fiction and non-fiction, a knowledgeable appreciator of fine art, art history, architecture and interior design and an authority on trends in fashion, food preparation and entertaining. She also enjoyed social bridge, swimming, tennis and in earlier years, skiing. Jan is survived by her husband, John Gribb and her brother, George Richardson and his wife Tina. She is also survived by her brother-in-law, Jeffrey Gribb and his wife Dawn; and her sister-in-law, Diane Higashioka and her husband Ted and seven nieces and nephews. Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, January 14, 2009, at 11 a.m., at Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, 1610 Carlisle Road, Highland Park, Camp Hill, PA, with the Reverend Keith Fair officiating. Inurnment will immediately follow the services at Rolling Green Cemetery, Camp Hill, PA. Visitation will be from 10-11 a.m., in the church library. A memorial celebration will be held in Beaufort, South Carolina, on Friday, January 23, 2009 at 3 p.m., at the Sea Island Presbyterian Church. In lieu of flowers, please consider a remembrance to the Beaufort Memorial Hospital Foundation, Keyserling Cancer Center, PO Box 2233, Beaufort, SC 29901.