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Dr. Caryl Reeve Granttham of Connecticut, formerly of Riverhead, died on Saturday, January 24, at the Seabury Home in Bloomfield, Connecticut, following a brief illness. She was 92.
Dr. Granttham was born in Riverhead on January 29, 1916, to Myrtle Wehl Reeve and Norman Frank Reeve.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Barnard College at Columbia University in 1940 and a Ph.D. in history from New York University in 1963. She married Olen “Earl” Granttham in 1943.
Dr. Granttham played a variety of roles in political science and government, including as an editor for Prentice-Hall, as a staff member of the Office of War Information under Edward R. Murrow during World War II and as a government research associate for John D. Rockefeller’s personal staff. She later became assistant professor of history and director for development and public relations at Southampton College of Long Island University.
She was deeply committed to her Riverhead roots, serving on the Suffolk County Historical Society, the Long Island Archeological Society, the Woman’s Club of Riverhead and an advisory committee to the Riverhead School Board. She was also founder and president of the Riverhead Preservation Landmark Society, where she oversaw the Fresh Pond 1822 School House program.
Concerned about the loss of historic farmland on Eastern Long Island, Dr. Granttham donated a 20-acre preserve with frontage on Long Island Sound to the Peconic Land Trust and remained an active supporter of the organization.
In addition to her long-standing interests in political activism and local history, Dr. Granttham was a talented cook, gracious hostess and an accomplished gardener and bonsai culturalist.
She is survived by a niece, Susan A. Reeve; a nephew, Richard L. Reeve; a sister-in-law, Vivian Avis Reeve, all of Riverhead; and a cousin, Paul T. Carver of West Hartford, Connecticut.
She was predeceased by her husband, Olen “Earl” Granttham of Riverhead; and a brother, Richard N. Reeve.
A wake will be held at the Reginald H. Tuthill Funeral Home in Riverhead on Friday, February 13, from 4 to 6 p.m. A funeral service will be held at the First Parish Church in Riverhead on Saturday, February 14, at 10 a.m. Interment will follow at the Sound Avenue Cemetery at Northville.
Serving as pallbearers will be Richard L. Reeve, Paul T. Carver, Michael R. LaPointe, Gregory M. Sottile, Richard Wines and Timothy Caufield.
In lieu of flowers, donations to the Peconic Land Trust, P.O. Box 1776, Southampton, NY 11969 or the Hallockville Museum Farm, 6038 Sound Avenue, Riverhead, NY 11901 would be appreciated by the family.
on Feb 11, 2009