Grant Thorpe Facer

Grant Thorpe Facer was born in southern Idaho on August 30, 1922, the middle child in a family with six sons and one daughter. He grew up in farm country in Idaho and Utah during the Great Depression when his family was forced to move several times as they struggled to make a living. After completing his high school education in Pocatello, he received a $500 scholarship from Sears that allowed him to study at the University of Idaho where he enrolled in ROTC.

While a student, Grant met Doris Mae Holz in his junior year. With World War II raging, Grant’s ROTC unit was activated in April 1943. He shipped out for Europe in the fall of 1944. During the Allied push into Germany, Grant led a company of men in a night reconnaissance mission in the Battle of the Bulge. The vehicle he was driving struck an anti-tank mine, throwing all five occupants to the ground. While aiding his wounded comrades, Grant stepped on a Schu-mine and lost part of his lower right leg in the blast. Although injured, he was still able to administer first aid to others and direct the men safely out of the area. For his efforts to attend to the other wounded men in his platoon, despite his own injuries, Grant received the Soldier’s Medal and a Purple Heart.

After returning to the US to recover in a military hospital, Grant was reunited with Doris. On February 16, 1946, they were married in Sandpoint, Idaho. After the wedding and Grant’s discharge from the Army, he and Doris finished college at Iowa State University, where Grant graduated in 1947 with a degree in engineering.

Taking a job with Kaiser Aluminum, Grant worked for 34 years in the Product Development and Engineering Group where he helped develop aluminum as an acceptable building material. Grant received two patents while working at the company’s headquarters in Oakland, California.

Married for 73 years, Grant and Doris lived in Illinois, California, and Nevada. They had five children. While in suburban Chicago, Grant was ordained an elder in the Morton Grove Community Presbyterian Church in 1955. When Kaiser relocated their headquarters to Oakland in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1959, the family settled in Lafayette. There both Grant and Doris were active in the Lafayette-Orinda Presbyterian Church. Grant retired in 1982, and they moved to Sun City in Summerlin, Las Vegas. There they joined the Mountain View Presbyterian Church where Grant was active as a deacon.

Grant is survived by his wife Doris and brother Robert Floyd Facer, as well as his five children: Heidi Sage (Rochelle, VA), Hans and wife Cheri (Lafayette, CA), Lois and husband Eric Abrahamson (Rapid City, SD), Lynna and husband Kent Hodgin (Las Vegas, NV), and Greg and wife Kelly (Spokane, WA). Grant enjoyed his six grandchildren: Chase Facer (Andrew Hutton), Reed Abrahamson (Rachel Hansen), Zachary Abrahamson (Deepa Mahajan), Coriandra Swatek (Ryan Swatek), and Morgan and Aaron Facer. He also has three great-grandchildren: Emberlah and Maisalyn Swatek and Clark Abrahamson.

Grant and Doris were blessed to be able to live independently in their home in Sun City for over twenty-five years. After suffering a major stroke, Grant died on October 4, 2019. A memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m. at Mountain View Presbyterian Church on Thursday, December 5, 2019. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Mountain View Presbyterian Church or a charity of your choice.