Mr. Edward Whitaker Grannis, Jr.

Edward Whitaker Grannis, Jr., age 72, surrounded by his family, went to be with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, after a brief illness on Thursday, October 8, 2015.

He was born August 6, 1943. He was a life long resident of Fayetteville. Ed was the son of the late Edward Whitaker Grannis and Ruby Jean Little Grannis. Ed was married to Winifred (Winnie) McBryde Grannis for 37 years. In addition to his wife, Winnie, Ed is survived by their two sons, Edward Whitaker Grannis III and Charles Little McBryde Grannis of Fayetteville.

In 1961, Ed graduated from Oak Ridge Military Institute. Ed received his undergraduate degree from Wake Forest College in 1965 and his law degree from Wake Forest Law School in 1968.

Ed received a commission as a Second Lieutenant of Infantry through the Wake Forest College ROTC program. Upon completion of infantry officer basic course, parachute school, and Ranger training, Ed was assigned to the 173rd Airborne Infantry Brigade in the Republic of South Vietnam for a year long tour of duty. Upon return to the United States, Ed was assigned as a basic training company commander in the Basic Training Brigade at Fort Bragg, NC until the completion of his service obligation and subsequent release from active duty. Ed received numerous awards and decorations for his service as an American Soldier.

Following his service in the military, Ed remained in Fayetteville, and in 1970 he began serving as an assistant district attorney under Jack Thompson. When Thompson chose not to run for re-election in 1974, Ed ran for and was elected District Attorney for the Twelfth Prosecutorial District. At the time he was elected, Ed was North Carolina’s youngest District Attorney, and he was one of the longest serving District Attorneys in North Carolina’s history. He took the oath of office as District Attorney on January 1, 1975, and continued in that office until his retirement from elected public service December 31, 2010.

Throughout Ed’s long career as District Attorney, he continued to actively participate in the trials of many high profile criminal cases, to include State v. Golphin, State v. Burmeister, State v. Norris Taylor, and State v. Roger McQueen. A legendary jurist, he was known and respected for his abilities in the courtroom and was also tough, fair, and ethical.

While Ed was District Attorney, he served as president of the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys. In 2009, he received the Peter S. Gilchrist III Award as Outstanding Prosecutor of the Year, awarded by the Criminal Law Section of the North Carolina Bar Association. Ed was honored with the Centennial Award from the North Carolina Bar Association in 2010.

In 2009, Ed was awarded the Order of the Longleaf Pine by the Governor of North Carolina. The Boy Scouts of America honored Ed with the Distinguished Citizen Award in 2010.

Ed was a life long active member of the First Presbyterian Church and served as a deacon and chairman of the Finance Committee.

After retirement from the position of District Attorney of the Twelfth Prosecutorial District, Ed was appointed by the Governor to the North Carolina Board of Transportation. He served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Fayetteville Academy. Ed served on other boards and in other civic positions throughout his adulthood.

Ed loved his family and friends and his happiest hours were spent in their company. He enjoyed the outdoors, gardening, golfing, raising peacocks and chickens, and, more recently, bee keeping. The North Carolina Coast was Ed’s second home and he loved boating and being on the water. Ed was a fun loving person, and many a friend found himself on the receiving end of Ed’s special practical jokes.

Ed is also survived by his cousins, Nancy Coulter Geller and her husband Ed, Charles Coulter and his wife Betsy, and Elizabeth Ann Smyre.  Ed embraced his wife’s large and loving family whom Ed adopted and loved dearly.

Services will be held Monday, October 12, 2015 at 2:30 pm at the First Presbyterian Church of Fayetteville, 102 Ann St, to be followed by burial in Cross Creek IV Cemetery. The family will receive friends at Sullivan’s Highland Funeral Services on Sunday, October 11, 2015 from 6 to 8 pm and also in the Parlor, First Presbyterian Church, on Monday, October 12, 2015 from 12:45 to 2:15 pm.

In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully requests that memorials be made to First Presbyterian Church of Fayetteville’s Building Fund.

Services are entrusted to Sullivan's Highland Funeral Service & Crematory, Inc.