John Grassi

John Grassi, age 49, passed away January 18, 2008 after a brave, yearlong battle with cancer. He was born and raised in the Washington DC area and moved to Austin several years ago to be closer to his immediate family. John was a devoted son, brother, uncle, nephew, cousin and friend. He was preceded in death by his father, Orlando Raymond Grassi, and is survived by his mother, Ruth Grassi; his sister, Barbara Commons and her husband David and their sons Christopher and Michael. John was dearly loved by his family and was especially adored by his two nephews who will deeply miss his guidance and influence in their lives. As much as he loved his "home" on the East Coast and his many life-long friends there, he quickly adapted to being an Austinite and enjoyed going to his favorite restaurants and taking long walks and runs on the Hike and Bike Trail. He could often be found hanging out at Asti Trattoria owned by his good friends Emmett and Lisa Fox. He was an avid car and motorcycle racing fan, who enjoyed participating in the Hill Country Region Porsche Club activities and riding his motorcycle, whenever possible. John was a salesman for Roger Beasley Porsche of Austin for several years where the owners, his co-workers and clients became some of his closest friends. They were wonderful and very generous to him over the past year and his family is forever grateful. John's family would also like to express their appreciation to all his friends, near and far, who showered him with love, visits, telephone calls, e-mails, cards and gifts during his illness. Some special people in John's life who were very important and helpful to him were Samantha Krukowski and Zoe, David Shiflet and Kay Dalton. A celebration of John's life will be held on Tuesday, January 22nd at 7:00 p.m. in the Wilke-Clay-Fish Funeral Home Chapel, 2620 S. Congress Ave. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in his honor to Hospice Austin's Christopher House (2820 E. MLK Blvd. Austin, TX 78702), where he received such tender and compassionate care in his final days, The American Cancer Society or the American Heart Association.