James Sylvester Gribschaw Jr

James “Jim” Sylvester Gribschaw Jr., 78, peacefully joined our Father in Heaven on January 30th, 2026 following a two+ year battle with pancreatic cancer. Jim was born on September 30th, 1947 to James S. Gribschaw Sr. and Elizabeth Keddie Gribschaw.

Jim’s life was shaped by his deep faith. A faith learned early in Catholic schools, strengthened by his time in combat, and shared over the years. He was a son, soldier, husband, father and grandfather, business leader, mentor and counselor. Through all these roles, faith was the thread that defined him.

Jim met the love of his life on a blind date in 1968 at Fort Benning, GA. Jim and Cherie enjoyed 55 years of marriage where they traveled the world (both on and off active duty), raised two wonderful boys, and left a lasting impact on the people and communities they served. They enjoyed being actively involved in Catholic parish activities and attending Broadway performances wherever they lived.

Jim enlisted in the Army in 1967 as a private. The Army immediately selected him for officer training and he graduated from Officer Candidate School (OCS) as an Infantry Lieutenant. He served two tours in Vietnam where he earned two Silver Stars for valorous actions in combat, six Bronze Stars (3 with Valor), five Purple Hearts for being wounded in combat, and the Soldier’s Medal, the Army’s highest award for non-combat heroism for saving a Soldier’s life during a river crossing. While teaching ROTC at Marquette University, he earned an MBA. Later in his career, Jim commanded the 3rd Battalion, 47th Infantry Regiment and led the unit’s 6-month peacekeeping mission to the Sinai Peninsula in 1988. He retired from the Army as a Colonel at Fort Benning, GA in 1997.

Following his 30-year Army career, Jim joined Lockheed Martin where he served in many roles over the course of an almost 20 year “second” career. He spent over 7 years as the Javelin Program manager, led a team developing cutting edge technology for unmanned robotics in the early 2000s, and managed Lockheed Martin’s support to nuclear power station control systems for several years. He retired as a program director in 2015.

Jim and Cherie experienced their first cruise for their 40th wedding anniversary and continued to cruise for many years. Jim enjoyed reading books and the Wall Street Journal. He especially enjoyed Men’s Scripture Study at Good Shepherd Catholic Community in Colleyville, Texas where he advanced his strong Catholic faith. He shared his faith with others over many years of teaching religious education, and mentoring candidates for full initiation into the church through RCIA. He was a good listener, advisor, mentor and counselor and applied all these skills as a Stephen Minister to help others in the community. He was a master of the Weber grill in all weather conditions and a lifelong Pittsburgh Steelers fan. He was especially proud of his sons, both of whom, after graduating from West Point, chose, based on his incredible example, to start their Army careers as Infantry officers.

Jim is survived by his wife of 55 years, Cherie, his sons Jeff and Steve, their wives Teresa and Desiree, his sisters Victoria Maria Gribschaw (Sister of Charity) and Phylis Kokkila, his brother Andy, and his grandchildren Claire, Elena, and Avery.

All Texas services will be held at Good Shepherd Catholic Community, 1000 Tinker Road, Colleyville, TX 76034. There will be a Vigil Service Thursday, March 5th, 2026 at 5:30 pm (Central) in the Daily Chapel. The funeral mass will be Friday, March 6th, 2026 at 11:00 am (Central) in the Sanctuary, followed by a reception in the Church Hall.

Jim will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery outside our nation’s capital.

Donations in support of pancreatic cancer research are welcome in lieu of flowers. The cancer research we support is MD Anderson Cancer Center.