Gary Joe Grimes

Dr. Gary Joe Grimes, age 74, passed away at home in Hoover, Alabama after a long illness with his family by his side on Tuesday, September 21, 2021. He was born August 19, 1947 in Canal Winchester, Ohio to Norma Marie Good Grimes and Joseph “Joe” Elmer Grimes, Jr.

Gary was born on the hottest day of the year in Ohio, and he passed away on the last day of summer, which seems fitting with his strong distaste for cold weather. When he was four years old, the family moved to Greeley, Colorado, and he went on to graduate valedictorian of Greeley High School class of 1965.

In 1969, Gary graduated Magna Cum Laude in Physics from Colorado College in Colorado Springs. He began his graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin, where he met his future wife and completed his Master’s Degree in Physics. He then completed his PhD in Electrical Engineering in 1973 at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

On June 17, 1972, he married Sharon Jo Hanson Grimes of Madison, Wisconsin in Greeley, Colorado. They began their married life in Boulder, but then moved in 1974 to Colorado Springs where Gary was a Senior Research Scientist with the USAF Academy and where he was instrumental in designing the first digital camera that NASA launched into space, the first military drone, and the origins of the cruise missile.

In 1977, Gary and Sharon celebrated the birth of their son, David. The next year, the family moved to Thornton, Colorado so Gary could continue his career at AT&T Bell Laboratories, where he created 73 U.S. Patents and over 1,000 foreign patents. One of his patents was the communication system necessary to locate the caller of 911 telephone calls. They welcomed their daughter, Jennifer, in 1987.

In 1994, the family moved to Hoover, Alabama when Gary accepted a tenured professor position at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). He served as the W.R. Bunn Professor of Telecommunications, and was a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Physics, Biomedical Engineering, Computer Science, and Healthcare Informatics. He was the 2000 recipient of the IEEE Engineer of the Year award from the Birmingham Engineering Council.

Gary devoted his career to research, working with his masters and PhD students, and traveling the world to deliver talks and peer-reviewed invited papers until he retired in 2009. In retirement, he enjoyed photography and researching his family history.

Gary is survived by his wife, Sharon; son, Dr. David Grimes (Sunny Knott); and David and Sunny's children, Nika and Atlas. Gary is also survived by his daughter, Dr. Jennifer (Mark) Craig, and their children, Abigail and Bethany.

The Rev. Dr. Chris DeGreen of Christ the King Lutheran Church in Hoover, Alabama will preside over a family-only graveside service at Southern Heritage Cemetery on Friday, September 24, 2021.

Memorial gifts can be sent to the American Cancer Society.