Willie was born to Ed and Robbie Grissom as the youngest of 5 children in southern Granville County, NC. He worked hard and played hard while growing up on a farm. He attended both the G. C. Hawley Elementary and High Schools. Although he had a quiet nature, his natural, charismatic, leadership skills emerged early as he was president of his high school class for all 4 years and a drummer in the marching band.

After graduation, he enlisted in the U. S. Army for two years. Upon being honorably discharged from the Army, he enrolled at North Carolina Central University (NCCU), in Durham, NC. To supplement his college income, he worked full time (overnight) as an orderly at Duke Hospital. To gain experience applicable to his college major, Willie also worked as a bookkeeping intern at Lincoln Hospital. Willie graduated from NCCU in 1964, with a Bachelor of Science in Commerce/Accounting.

Shortly after graduating from NCCU, Willie married his college sweetheart, Mary Neely. From this union, they have one daughter, Marice, also an NCCU graduate.

Upon graduation, Willie accepted a position at Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) as Bookstore Manager. He quickly climbed the employment ladder to become Accounting Clerk, and Assistant Business Manager. He eventually became WSSU's Business Manager, which led to the position of Vice Chancellor for Business and Finance. He held this position until his retirement in 1991. This role positioned him as the ultimate decision-maker for financial aid. As such, he was personally responsible for helping thousands of students achieve their dreams of a college education. Moreover, he spearheaded the campus growth plan, which was the roadmap for the university's current campus expansion. After retirement, he continued working at WSSU as the Internal Auditor and ultimately as Executive Director of the WSSU Foundation.

As evidenced by his community involvement, Willie leveraged his natural analytical skills in financial pursuits including:

·         Volunteering on the Finance Committee and as the Treasurer of United Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church, where he expertly incorporated a new financial system to automate the reconciliation of weekly collections.

·         Volunteering as a Community Tax Preparer, Financial/Estate Planner, and mentor to new professionals and entrepreneurs.

·         Serving as Financial Advisor to the Historic Neely School Foundation.

·         Assisting the W-S Chapter of the NCCU Alumni Association as Constitution Committee Chair, Internal Audit Committee Chair, and       Treasurer for the NCCU Triad Golf Tournament.

·         Serving 20+ years on civic boards (W-S/Forsyth County Utilities Commission and W-S Juvenile Justice Council).

·         Serving as Treasurer and Co-Chair of the G.C. Hawley High School National Alumni Association.

·         Serving as Treasurer and Chairman of the Board of Trustees at First Baptist Church on Highland Ave.

He also enjoyed playing cards, bowling, watching sports, eating country cooking, exploring new technology, listening to music, admiring classic cars, and photography.

Willie will be sorely missed by everyone whose lives he touched, especially his family: wife of 60 years, Mary Neely Grissom; daughter, Marice G. (Charles) Freeman; sisters, Florine G. Brown and Betty G. Ward; siblings-in-law, Barbara Bayne, Esther Grissom, Alvin (Gail) Neely, Cynthia Neely English, and Margie Neely; grandchildren, Chariece F. Miller, Christine Freeman, and Charles Freeman III; as well as a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, godchildren, colleagues, and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, and siblings; Emma G. (Leroy) Williamson, John Grissom, Daniel Brown, William Ward, Frances N. (James) Tyson, Calvin Neely, and Isaac (Dianne) Neely.

The family will receive friends 12:30pm Monday, April 29th at United Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church with the funeral service following at 1pm.

In Lieu of Flowers: Please consider donating to the following charities founded by Willie and his family:

Historic Neely School Foundation: https://HistoricNeelySchool.org or PO Box 784, China Grove, NC 28023

Grissom Family Fund at Triangle Community Foundation: : https://triangle.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/list (select Grissom Family Fund) or PO Box 12729, Durham, NC  27709