Grady Lee McCoy Jr.

Born on November 3, 1932, in Conway, South Carolina, he was a proud graduate of Conway High School and began his collegiate journey at Wofford College in Spartanburg, SC, where he traveled the state as a member of the Glee Club, men’s choir. He later transferred to the University of South Carolina, earning a bachelor’s degree in business and graduating as an officer through the ROTC program.

Upon graduation, Grady joined the United States Air Force, where he served with distinction. As a bombardier aboard B-52 bombers during the Cold War, he flew numerous high-stakes missions that included carrying live nuclear weapons on 24-hour flights over Russian airspace. These missions, thankfully, always ended with the call to return to base. He once told a friend that he knew if the order ever came to drop the bomb, that he would not make it back. He retired with the rank of Captain, a reflection of his bravery, leadership, and dedication to service.

It was during a deployment to Jacksonville Air Force Base in Arkansas that fate intervened. A double-blind date led him to Ann Savage Askew, though she wasn’t his original date that evening, he knew immediately that she was the one. Just three months later, they were married, beginning a loving partnership that would span 68 years.

After retiring from the Air Force, Grady and Ann settled in her hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas. He transitioned into a successful career in residential real estate with RPM and Beuter Realty. In 1991, Grady joined his wife, Ann, in yet another new adventure. Together they worked for and throughout the Clinton administration in Washington, D.C.

Grady was predeceased in death by his parents Molly Jones and Grady L McCoy Sr, of Conway, South Carolina, and his son, Read Holmes McCoy. He is survived by his devoted wife, Ann Savage Askew McCoy; son Grady Lee McCoy III and his wife, Kerry Krouse McCoy; granddaughter Sara Meghan Pittman and her husband, Alan Pittman; grandsons Grady Lee McCoy IV and husband Drew Schultz, Matthew Savage McCoy and his wife Sara Slimp, and John (Jack) Edwin McCoy and his wife Megan. He is also remembered with love by his great-grandchildren: Evelyn Ann Pittman, Marshal Alan Pittman, and Arthur Ellis McCoy.

Grady McCoy will be remembered for his strong moral compass, dry wit, deep intellect, day trading skills, and unwavering commitment to his family and country. His life was one of quiet courage, steady leadership, and enduring love.

Because Grady was a lifelong member of Second Presbyterian Church, serving as both Deacon and Elder, a Celebration of Life service for Grady will be held at 2:00pm, Saturday, July 26th, at Second Presbyterian Church, 600 Pleasant Valley Drive, Little Rock, AR.

In lieu of flowers, please give your gifts of remembrance to the Church or buy a commemorative brick at the Dreamland Ballroom’s Pave the Way program.