I was born in Crooked Oak, a small farming community near Hillsville, Carroll County, Va. in 1935. I was the youngest of eight children, four boys and four girls, born to Delmon McGrady and Ura Princess Dickerson McGrady. My father owned a large farm and also owned and operated a popular country "general merchandise" store in the community./// I attended Crooked Oak Elementary, Laurel Fork Junior High, and Hillsville High. I graduated from Emory and Henry College in the spring of 1955, was accepted into the Marine Corps' Officer Candidate School (OCS) in September 1955, and was commissioned as a Marine Officer in April 1956./// I met my dream-girl, Shirley Betsy York, at the movies in Hillsville in the summer of 1955 while I was waiting to go to OCS. She was still a student of Hillsville High School (HHS). After my commissioning and few days back home we eloped to York S.C. on 6 October 1956 to be married. This was only a few days before I left for my first of several unaccompanied overseas tours./// Shirley returned to Hillsville to live with my family while she finished high school at HHS. I returned to the states in January 1957 to begin our lives together as a Marine family.///I served in the United States Marine Corps from 1955 to 1976, and served in the Vietnam Conflict with the First Marine Division. I was awarded the Bronze Star with Combat V device for Valor for my service in Vietnam./// We had two children, Patrick and Sheila during my early Marine Corps career. We spent the rest of my military career at several Marine Corps installations throughout the US, and I spent several tours overseas without the family./// After 21 years of faithful service, and sharing the names of Leatherneck, Devil Dog, and Jarhead with the thousands of Marines before me, I retired in 1976 at the age of 41./// I spent the next 25 years in the real estate business in Northern Virginia, in sales and in management positions. I retired from real estate while affiliated with RE/MAX in 2000./// In 2010 I became seriously interested in my family genealogy and history, and have learned that findagrave.com is remarkably helpful. ///My son, Patrick, who is a Cemetery Representative at Arlington National Cemetery, introduced me to FINDAGRAVE. He also finds that FINDAGRAVE is a big asset in his day to day work.

***A sad note to add to my bio: My love of 60 years, Shirley Betsy York, recovering from heart surgery at Fairfax Hospital, had two strokes within three days and died on 24 August 2015. She is inurned at the columbarium at Arlington National Cemetery./// My life will never be the same. I have learned there is no joy in life without her.***

February 2018 addendum. I just left my home in Springfield that I shared with Shirley for many happy years and moved into Greenspring Retirement Center only three miles from our home. I only wish that she had lived to come with me. Still no joy in life!!!!
Shortly after I arrived I was asked to be the Group Coordinator of the Greenspring Marines, a group of Marines, their spouses and former spouses of fallen Marines.

I was born in Crooked Oak, a small farming community near Hillsville, Carroll County, Va. in 1935. I was the youngest of eight children, four boys and four girls, born to Delmon McGrady and Ura Princess Dickerson McGrady. My father owned a large farm and also owned and operated a popular country "general merchandise" store in the community./// I attended Crooked Oak Elementary, Laurel Fork Junior High, and Hillsville High. I graduated from Emory and Henry College in the spring of 1955, was accepted into the Marine Corps' Officer Candidate School (OCS) in September 1955, and was commissioned as a Marine Officer in April 1956./// I met my dream-girl, Shirley Betsy York, at the movies in Hillsville in the summer of 1955 while I was waiting to go to OCS. She was still a student of Hillsville High School (HHS). After my commissioning and few days back home we eloped to York S.C. on 6 October 1956 to be married. This was only a few days before I left for my first of several unaccompanied overseas tours./// Shirley returned to Hillsville to live with my family while she finished high school at HHS. I returned to the states in January 1957 to begin our lives together as a Marine family.///I served in the United States Marine Corps from 1955 to 1976, and served in the Vietnam Conflict with the First Marine Division. I was awarded the Bronze Star with Combat V device for Valor for my service in Vietnam./// We had two children, Patrick and Sheila during my early Marine Corps career. We spent the rest of my military career at several Marine Corps installations throughout the US, and I spent several tours overseas without the family./// After 21 years of faithful service, and sharing the names of Leatherneck, Devil Dog, and Jarhead with the thousands of Marines before me, I retired in 1976 at the age of 41./// I spent the next 25 years in the real estate business in Northern Virginia, in sales and in management positions. I retired from real estate while affiliated with RE/MAX in 2000./// In 2010 I became seriously interested in my family genealogy and history, and have learned that findagrave.com is remarkably helpful. ///My son, Patrick, who is a Cemetery Representative at Arlington National Cemetery, introduced me to FINDAGRAVE. He also finds that FINDAGRAVE is a big asset in his day to day work.

***A sad note to add to my bio: My love of 60 years, Shirley Betsy York, recovering from heart surgery at Fairfax Hospital, had two strokes within three days and died on 24 August 2015. She is inurned at the columbarium at Arlington National Cemetery./// My life will never be the same. I have learned there is no joy in life without her.***

February 2018 addendum. I just left my home in Springfield that I shared with Shirley for many happy years and moved into Greenspring Retirement Center only three miles from our home. I only wish that she had lived to come with me. Still no joy in life!!!!
Shortly after I arrived I was asked to be the Group Coordinator of the Greenspring Marines, a group of Marines, their spouses and former spouses of fallen Marines.