Fondly Remembering Grady Fonville, one of the Biggest Greensboro Baseball Fans Ever:Grady was LOB, but with an RBI he is headed for Home(RIP Grady Fonville gone at age 92)

One of Greensboro’s biggest baseball fans ever has left us…Grady Fonville is gone, he has passed away…Grady was 92 years old.

We used to see Grady Fonville at all of the old Greensboro Hornets and Greensboro Bats baseball games at the old venerable War Memorial Stadium, and that kind of describes Grady too…Venerable…

He was a very friendly sort of fellow, and he rarely missed a Summer baseball game at War Memorial Stadium…Grady could usually be found sitting with his good friend Robert Stutts, up in the mini-Grand Stand, along the right field bleachers…

Grady would be there every night, every time the hometown team was playing, Grady Fonville would be in the house…

Mr. Fonville ran the Fonville Radio Repair shop, down on Martin Luther King Blvd. and with his electrical background, every time the Hornets or Bats scoreboard would break down, Grady would get the call to come fix the baseball scoreboard, and more times than not, Grady would have that outfield scoreboard up and running again, in no time at all..

Grady was the master/wizard at fixing that baseball scoreboard, at War Memorial Stadium…If they had to send in new parts, Grady would study the replacement parts, and then he would get them in order, and have them in the scoreboard and have that scoreboard ready and working again, in time for the 7pm baseball contest…

While not fixing the Hornets’ and Bats’ baseball scoreboard, Grady Fonville would be watching the hometown teams and ambling his way around the ballpark(old War Memorial Stadium) after having a beer or two, with his buddy Robert Stutts…

I have thought on more than one occasion, that Grady Fonville and Robert Stutts were sort of like Robert Redford and Willie Nelson, from that movie Electric Horseman, that was out back in the 1970’s…Robert Stutts as Robert Redford and Grady Fonville as Willie Nelson….Grady Fonville, the “Electric Horseman”….

Thank-you Grady Fonville for the memories, and Grady you are no longer LOB/Left on Base, there has been an RBI, and Grady Fonville is headed for home….

RIP:Grady Fonville, one of Greensboro’s Biggest Baseball Fans Ever…..

Here is the Grady Fonville obituary from the News and Record online/www.greensboro.com:

MARCH 2, 1928 – JULY 10, 2020 Grady Lamar Fonville died July 10, 2020 at Whitestone Masonic & Eastern Star Home.

A private graveside service will be held at Pine Hill Cemetery in Burlington, officiated by Grady’s grandson Mitchell Fonville.

Grady was born March 2, 1928 in Cheraw, South Carolina to the late Cleo Johnson and John Lee Fonville. He graduated from Burlington High School class of 1945 and served in the Navy 1946.

Grady was the owner of Fonville Radio Repair, where he sold and serviced 2 way radios for over 50 years.

Grady is survived by his wife of over 71 years, Shirley Holt of the home; sons, Gordon Fonville and Sadonna of Wilmington, and Edwin Fonville and Janithcia of Pleasant Garden; 4 grandsons; 3 great-grandchildren and many extended family and friends.

Grady was a 33 degree mason member of the Revolution Lodge 552, member of the Rose Chapter OES 178, Past President of the Greensboro Shrine Club, member of Presbyterian Church of Cross, and a member of Woodmen life for over 55 years.

Memorials may be to Presbyterian Church of the Cross, 1810 Phillips Ave, Greensboro, North Carolina 27405. Friends and family maysign, and view the guestbook at www.Pierce-JeffersonFuneralService.com Pierce-Jefferson Lambeth Chapel 300 West Wendover

2 thoughts on “Fondly Remembering Grady Fonville, one of the Biggest Greensboro Baseball Fans Ever:Grady was LOB, but with an RBI he is headed for Home(RIP Grady Fonville gone at age 92)

  1. Yes, Grady and I watched thousands of games at Memorial Stadium and other Parks in NC, SC, Ga, and Va. , “What a RUN !!!!!”. Grady was like my second Father !!!!! What a Man and Good Friend !!!!!! Grady would take hundreds of pictures of Fans at the Ball Parks and would email them out to each Fan that wanted their Picture the next day.. That was a Job in itself, but that was GRADY !!!!!! Grady and I spent many a day working on the old Scoreboard at Memorial Stadium. And that was all the way up to Game Time a lot of the time !!!!!! YES , IF THERE EVER WAS A TRUE BASEBALL FAN , GRADY WOULD AND WILL ALWAYS BE THE DEFINITION OF THAT HERE IN GREENSBORO. THANKS ANDY FOR THE KIND WORDS !!!!! Grady and I watched many a Game together, and I can tell you that I enjoyed each and everyone of them !!!!! No better PERSON to sit and watched a game with , and I will forever remember and cherish all the memories!!!!!!! WE LOVE YOU GRADY, NEVER FORGET AND WILL ALWAYS SAVE YOU A SEAT !!!!!! YOUR BASEBALL FRIEND AND BUDDY ROBERT STUTTS ??????????????????????

  2. Well said Robert Stutts…

    Some excellent thoughts right here.

    RIP Grady Fonville, and we need more fans like Grady, Robert Stutts, and Don Moore…Their hearts were in the game….

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