Former BJ Librarian Paul Grna, Jr., who
retired from the mailroom packaging department, passed away.
Paul was the widower of Judy Hazlinger
Grna. They were married for 49 years and spent nearly all that time on Jonathon
Avenue in Akron. Paul was the guy with the black beard. Judy was the redheaded
love of his life.
After the BJ Paul became night
manager/auditor for Econo Lodge Akron East.
He is a Garfield High graduate who
went on to the University of Akron.
Paul Grna, Sr., Paul’s father, was in
the BJ mailroom for 35 years. The Paul we knew in the BJ Library was a
third-generation family member to work at 44 E. Exchange Street. His grandfather,
Joe Grna, Sr., came to the BJ after coming from Yugoslavia in the early 1900s
to be a driver for the Akron Times, which the Knight family later absorbed into
its Beacon operation. Joe drove a Model-T Touring car and an open-cab Ford
truck that he owned.
By the time the BJ
began providing trucks for its men, Grandpa Joe had two other men working for
him to get the papers to the suburban counties. He retired in 1972 after 42
years of driving Akron newspapers to their appointed dropoffs.
Paul’s stepmother,
Joan E. Grna, passed away in 2008 at the age of 78. The Akron native retired
from Firestone after 34 years there. She was a golfer who regularly attended
St. Mary Catholic Church where she worked in the church office once a week.
Joan’s brothers were Ralph and Richard Young.
Judy was predeceased by her parents, Pauline and Frank Hazlinger.
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