George Grimmer, former Farmers Branch mayor who did classified work in WWII, dies at 100

George Gordon Grimmer's civic service included classified work during World War II and nine years as mayor of Farmers Branch.
Grimmer, 100, died Wednesday of natural causes at Christus St. Joseph Village in Coppell. Services were Saturday at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Farmers Branch, where Grimmer was a longtime member.
George Grimmer, former Farmers Branch mayor
"He was a very compassionate person, and he liked to have things run smoothly for the city," said his wife, Glenna Grimmer of Coppell. "He was very much a gentle man."
Grimmer did everything in moderation and was a wonderful engineer and "a very good husband and father," his wife said.

Born in Lisbon, before it was annexed into Dallas, Grimmer attended Arlington State College, now the University of Texas at Arlington. In 1939, he received a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from what is now Texas A&M University.

During World War II, Grimmer served in the Army Signal Corps, assigned to classified work in the War Department in Washington, D.C. He and his fellow code workers wore civilian clothing so as not to draw attention to their important work.

In 1953, he married Glenna Jane Gardiner. He spent 39 years working for Otis Engineering and was active in Scouting and the YMCA. He served on the Farmers Branch Planning and Zoning Board and was appointed to the City Council in 1967.
In 1968, Grimmer was elected to the council and named mayor pro tem. He became mayor in 1969 after the resignation of his predecessor, Robert Langdon. He was elected mayor in 1970 and retired from the council in 1978.
Grimmer's grandson George Grimmer III died in 2012.

In addition to his wife, Grimmer is survived by a son, George Grimmer Jr. of Austin; a daughter, Rebecca Grimmer of Fort Worth; and three grandchildren. Memorials may be made to St. Andrew's Episcopal Church or to the George Grimmer Memorial Scholarship at Texas A&M University to benefit future engineering students.

CORRECTION, 12:35 p.m., Oct. 2, 2017: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that George Gordon Grimmer's son died in 2012. His grandson died in 2012. Also, the story indicated that Grimmer had more than one son. George Grimmer Jr. is his only son.