Former Lake County Sheriff Clint O. Grinnell knew how to face a crisis–and when to let it go. At the end of a workday, Mr. Grinnell returned to his home on a 15-acre plot of land, where he raised livestock, tended the fields and quartered horses.
“He was proud of his work, but our home was his great pleasure,” said his wife, Marion. “He would always say that he came home in the evening to what other people drove hours north to find.”
Mr. Grinnell, 72, died, apparently of a heart attack, Tuesday, Sept. 28, in his Libertyville home.
Mr. Grinnell grew up in Libertyville in a time when most of Lake County still was considered rural. His father, a veterinarian, raised his family on Milwaukee Avenue, where Mr. Grinnell was taught to appreciate country life.
“There were big farms nearby, and he worked on them since he was a young man,” his wife said.
After graduating from Libertyville High School, Mr. Grinnell spent four years in the Army stationed in Germany. He then joined the Libertyville Police Department and got married. The couple raised five children while Mr. Grinnell rose to the rank of police chief.
In 1981 Mr. Grinnell was contemplating retirement when he was asked to help Lake County Coroner Robert Babcox with his campaign for sheriff. When Babcox won, Mr. Grinnell became undersheriff.
He was appointed sheriff when Babcox died in 1988, elected later that year and re-elected twice. He retired in 1996. As sheriff, Mr. Grinnell assumed a more public role, but the spotlight never swayed him, friends and family said.
“He always believed in working hard, but he had a cool demeanor,” said Sheriff Gary Del Re, his successor. “He understood that politics is a blood sport, but he went through every political race with grace and dignity.”
As Libertyville police chief, Mr. Grinnell headed a department of 28 officers responsible for maintaining order in one town. As Lake County sheriff, he administered more than 400 people with a multitude of responsibilities, from securing the courthouse to protecting the waterways and policing unincorporated towns. Mr. Grinnell oversaw construction of a new county jail and modernizing of the department, Del Re said.
Until a stroke five years ago, Mr. Grinnell kept a stable of Belgian draft horses. He often would hitch a team to a piece of antique farm equipment and drive around his fields.
“In the summer he would draw a wagon through town as part of parades,” his wife said. “When he was campaigning for sheriff, he used the horses and wagon with a sign on it to advertise. It was a little gimmick for him.”
Regarding Mr. Grinnell’s legacy as sheriff, Del Re simply said, “He stood for common sense and common decency.”
Mr. Grinnell also is survived by three sons, William, Michael and Mark; two daughters, Susan Quint and Catherine; a brother Jack; a sister, Francis Eiserman; and eight grandchildren.
Visitation will be held from 3 to 8 p.m. Friday in McMurrough Funeral Chapel, 101 Park Pl., Libertyville. Mass will be said at 10 a.m. Saturday in St. Mary of the Annunciation Church, 22333 W. Erhart Rd., Mundelein.
