Rev. Harold G. Grindstaff, age 84, of Water Street in Bakersville, the Bandana community, went home to be with the Lord on Friday, November 17, 2023 at his home.
Born on February 12, 1939 in Mitchell County, he was the son of the late Vernon G. Grindstaff, Sr. and the late Ruby Whiton Grindstaff. In addition to his parents, he was also preceded in death by his brothers; Rev. Gerald Grindstaff and Vernon Grindstaff, Jr.; a grandson; Nahum Grindstaff and a great grandson; Kenny Ray Pope.
From 1956 to 1964, as a young soldier with secret security clearance, Harold worked with atomic weapons. In Germany, he stood guard over our freedoms as Russia built the Berlin wall. While still there during the Cuban Missile Criss, as a third world war loomed large, he manned a fifty caliber machine gun on the end of the air base flight line, awaiting the enemy that, thank God, never came.
He marveled that God allowed a Bandana plowboy to see the sunrise over the majestic Blue Ridge mountains of America, the grand White Cliffs of Dover of England, the beautiful Bay of Bengal of India, and the great Sea of Galilee of Israel. He traveled halfway around the world many times.
Harold started out as a plowboy, later became a soldier boy and finally, by the Lord’s call, he became a preacher boy and was ordained into the ministry in 1971. Nothing thrilled him more than to tell others about another man who also saw the sun rise over the Sea of Galilee, who not many years before had called its waters together by the power of his word and who spoke to them again as their threatening waves settled to a glassy calm. He loved to tell of the One who had walked on those waters that later made his way down the Via Dolorosa to a hill called Calvary. He could tell how he had looked into Jesus’ would-be tomb and as millions of others had done, he found it empty, vacated by the living God.
He preached to many in the grassy fields of India and raised money to build several church buildings there. He preached to many more in the steepled churches of the southeast US, and to many more, as he went, one by one, as they would listen. Once, a stranger stopped beside the road one day to help Harold with a load of lumber. The man who stopped to lend a hand found himself hearing the greatest story ever told. The stranger met two men that day who had seen the sun rise over the Sea of Galilee.
If there has ever lived a soul winner, Harold was it. He was a living example to us all of what the Great Commission looks like in shoe leather. He surely was an answer to the biblical prayers asking for the Lord to “send forth laborers into his harvest” and to “go into all the world teaching and baptizing”. God called. Harold answered.
Now, he rests from those labors and is living gloriously in the eternal light of God.
Left to cherish his memory is his wife of sixty-five years; Iva Livingston Grindstaff of the home; his son; John Grindstaff and wife, Rebecca of Hickory; his sister; Joan McKinney and husband, Roy of Bakersville; his sisters-in-law; Carlean Grindstaff and Brenda Grindstaff both of Bakersville; his grandchildren; Tabitha Clement and husband, Matt of Concord, John Adam Grindstaff and wife, Ann Marie of Albemarle, Hannah St. John and husband, Ben of Conover, Lydia Pope and husband, Michael of Maiden, Michael Frazier and wife, Kellie of Granite Falls and Tiffany Frazier of Taylorsville; and his great grandchildren; Mikey, Liam, Leo, Avery, Ariel, Lauren, Makyla, Kallen, Ava, Layton, Mason, Ashley, Joey and Mariah.
Funeral services for Rev. Harold Grindstaff will be on Monday, November 20, 2023 at 2:00 pm at Pine Branch Baptist Church with the Rev’s. Bruce Cannon, Mark McKinney, Vern Grindstaff and Dr. Robert Helton officiating. Interment will be in the Silver Chapel Baptist Church Cemetery.
Flowers will be accepted and appreciated, or memorial contributions may be made to the charity of your choice.
Words of comfort may be e-mailed to the family by going to the website; www.webbfh.com, selecting Rev. Harold Grindstaff’s name and then you may sign his guestbook.
Webb Funeral Home has been entrusted with the arrangements for Rev. Grindstaff and is honored to be serving the Grindstaff family.
Rev. Grindstaff’s obituary has also been posted on Facebook for viewing.
