Obituary of John J. Grillos

John Joseph Grillos, 68, died on July 9, 2015 at home in Basking Ridge, NJ The cause of death was due to complications of esophageal cancer. Visiting hours are at The Jacob Holle Funeral Home 2122 Millburn Avenue, Maplewood, NJ on Mon, July 13th from 3-5 and 7-9 PM. Burial will be private. Flowers may be sent or you can make a donation to Pi Kappa Alpha Foundation / John J. Grillos Schholarship, 8347 West Range Cove, Memphis, TN 38125. John was born on March 20, 1947 in Brooklyn, New York to Lucille Grillos and John J. Grillos. He was a proud graduate of Seton Hall Prep to which he commuted daily from his Brooklyn home. John also graduated with a B.A. from Seton Hall University and was a cum laude graduate of Seton Hall Law School. After passing the bar exam, John was appointed a Deputy Attorney General for the State of New Jersey for a term of three years. John enjoyed a successful career in the professional and academic publishing industry. He was an executive and counsel to Martindale-Hubbell, Inc. of New Providence, New Jersey in the early 1980's. Thereafter, he joined the A.M. Best Company in Oldwick, New Jersey as Vice-President and General Counsel for 13 years. John was retained as Sr. Vice President-Administration and Corporate Counsel at the New York City offices of Oxford University Press until 2006. Most recently, he has been associated in the practice of law at the firm of Hardin, Kundla, McKeon and Poletto in Springfield, New Jersey. Long active in local politics, John was a Maplewood Democratic District Leader for 20 years and served a term on the Democratic State Committee. He was an avid fan of the opera and subscribed to the Metropolitan Opera for 38 consecutive years. John enjoyed vacations on Cape Cod for many years and owned a home in Massachusetts with plans to retire there with his wife. John was the husband of Molly Ward and the late Diane Grillos. He is survived by his children, Meredith, Mark and Alexia Grillos and grandson Marcus Osorio. He is also survived by a sister, Lucille Martini and her husband, Mimmo, his sister-in-laws Carlene, Jennifer, Virginia, Charlene, and his brother-in-laws Doug, Michael and Jeff and numerous nieces and nephews.