Yolanda Jean Grula

Yolanda Grula, 87, most recently of Naples, FL and Lexington, MA, passed away peacefully on the evening June 4, 2019 from complications arising from dementia. Daughter of the late Antonio and Angeline Scotchel, Yolanda was born May 5, 1932 in Westover, WV., just across the river from Morgantown, WV. She was the 10th of 12 children born to a family full of self-made local businessmen. While attending West Virginia University, Yolanda met her beloved future husband, John Grula. The pair married upon John’s return from the U.S. Air Force, where he served as an air traffic controller in French Morocco. John's career as a professional FAA air traffic controller at John F. Kennedy Airport brought the family to Jackson Heights, where they had their first two children, Laurence and Susan, and later to the town of Merrick on Long Island where they welcomed a third child, Richard. While raising her family, Yolanda pursued her lucrative career as a Realtor in Merrick. Upon John's retirement, John and Yolanda relocated to Naples, FL, in the late 1970's. Yolanda continued her career as a licensed award-winning Realtor and broker over the next two decades and handled the sale of millions of dollars of properties in the Naples area. Yolanda's love of investing in real estate was passed on to her children. Always placing a premium on education, John and Yolanda sent all three of their children to college and graduate school. Yolanda loved the arts and was also an accomplished artist herself with many beautiful canvases painted over the years. Always active in sports she was an avid golfer and cherished her time golfing with her husband, siblings, children and grandchildren. After more than 40 years of marriage, her beloved John passed away in 2004. Yolanda, later, also lost her dear grandson Bradley. When she began to show the early signs of dementia, she relocated to Lexington, MA to live with her daughter, where she was active in several area senior centers and Our Lady Comforter of the Afflicted, a Catholic church serving Lexington-Waltham. Recently, she moved to Artis Senior Living memory care facility of Reading MA, where she was cared for by an exceptional team and visited frequently by family. Yolanda is survived by children Laurence, Susan and Richard, daughters-in-law Michelle and Natalie, grandchildren Tyler, Lauren and Jake, her sister Margaret and numerous nephews, nieces and cousins. She was laid to rest in Naples, Florida beside her husband John in a private service. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you instead honor one of Yolanda’s favorite charities by making a donation in her name to The Angela Scotchel Memorial Basketball Scholarship (http://www.ycfwv.org/scholarships/).