William R. Granquist

William R. Granquist, 90, of Bristol, passed away peacefully after a lengthy illness on Friday, June 23, 2023 at UCONN in Farmington. He is now reunited with his son, William Granquist, Jr., and his beloved wife Katharine (Gworek) Granquist, with whom he shared 65 years of love and life adventures.

William was born on December 14, 1932 in New Britain, CT son to the late Raymond and Cecilia (Garhol) Granquist. Following high school graduation, he served our country in the 351F Unit of the U.S. Army, where he was stationed in Europe. Shortly after, he returned home and attended the University of Connecticut, leaving school prior to earning his degree in order to provide for his wife and family. A natural craftsman and professional at tinkering with things, William was a perfectionist and was able to construct anything he set his mind to. He created custom knives from scratch pieces of wood and some of his work was featured on the cover of magazines. In addition, he constructed custom pen sets made out of wood and shared his beautiful creations with family and friends. He was self-employed and owned a manufacturing distribution company, meeting many loyal business friends and colleagues along the way.

William and his wife, Kathy, loved to travel together, spending summer weekends away at their Vermont home on Well’s River, retirement winters in Puerto Rico, and enjoyed taking their family to favorable destinations such as the Keys in Florida and Hawaii. A lover of the outdoors, he was an avid fly fisherman, made his own flies to fish with and there was nothing more that he loved than spending time in his backyard at his pool. William loved to entertain, and was an exceptional host, organizing many gatherings in his home bar in the basement where friends and family all came together to enjoy one other’s company. William was a die-hard UCONN men’s basketball fan and the New York Yankees. Above all, he was an independent, stubborn, set-in-his-own-way type of guy, who loved unconditionally and was well-respected by everyone that he met at all walks of life.

William is survived by his sons, Michael Granquist and his wife, Deborah, of Barkhamsted, and Gary Granquist, of Athens, GA; his brother, Robert Granquist and his wife, Peggy, of New Hartford; his best friends of 45 years, who were considered family to him, Bob Colaninno and his wife, Pat, of Bristol; his nieces and nephews, Kerri Roberts and her husband, Jerry, Mark Granquist and his wife, Jessie, and Jeff Granquist and his wife, Fran; and several extended family members. He was predeceased by his wife, Katharine Granquist and his son, William Granquist, Jr.

William’s family will celebrate his life privately with a graveside service at St. Joseph Cemetery in Bristol, where he will be laid to rest with his wife and son.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Mr. William R. Granquist, Sr. to the (30066) William R. Granquist Jr. Memorial Scholarship Fund at the University of Connecticut Foundation, Inc. Checks made payable to the UConn Foundation, Inc. can be mailed to: The UConn Foundation, Inc., Attn: Data Services, 2390 Alumni Dr., Unit 3206, Storrs, CT 06269-3206. The staff at Plainville Funeral Home extends their gratitude to the Granquist family for their trust.  For online expressions of sympathy, please visit www.PlainvilleFuneralHome.com.

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