Richard "Rich" Grady

Richard (Rich) Boyd Grady (52) of Battle Creek, Michigan passed away on October 11, 2025 at Centrica Rose Arbor Hospice with his devoted wife, Jennifer (Jordan) at his side.

An avid runner, Rich ran track and cross country for Peoria High School and continued running for fun at the University of Illinois where he met his beloved wife. More recently, he ran every day for 5,813 consecutive days, despite the weather, until July 20, 2024, the day after he was diagnosed with something he could not outrun: grade 4 glioblastoma.

Disney was Rich's home away from home. He proudly called himself a “Dis Dad” and reveled at the joy Disney World brought to all of them. Disney was possibly the only thing he loved as much as geeky complex sci-fi novels, Star Wars trivia, role playing games (RPGs) and notoriously bad puns.

Regaling the doctors and nurses with his puns gave him something to occupy his mind as his body began to deteriorate. Rich stubbornly and optimistically fought to reach milestones, most prominently his daughter’s high school graduation and the birth of his nephew and namesake, just two days prior to his death.

Above all, Richard was a family man, becoming a stay-at-home dad when their oldest was only 6 months old. He said it was the best curveball life threw at him. He cherished being a Scout leader for his son’s troop, and hiking Philmont with him was a true highlight of his life. He would do anything his daughter asked, even drink a caramelized leek martini because she thought it was funny.

Richard Grady is survived by his loving wife Jennifer Grady, his children Kevin and Erin, and his siblings Marcy (Grady) Miller and Katherine (Grady) Stobaugh and their respective spouses as well as many nieces, nephews and in-laws. He is preceded in death by his parents, Alan Grady and Carol Grady of Peoria, Illinois.

Visitation services will be held Friday October 24th at Richard A. Henry Funeral Home from 4 - 7 PM. A funeral mass will be held at 10am Saturday, October 25 at St. Joseph Catholic Church.

In lieu of flowers, Rich asks that donations be made to the Philmont Fire Recovery and Mitigation Fund or Give Kids the World.

In his final days, this avid Game Master with great stories and bad dice rolls said, “I didn’t quit the way I wanted to, but I found a wonderful partner and had terrific kids, so in the game of life, I won.”

Family requests that all floral arrangements sent to services exclude any lily flowers.