Edward J. Gryga Jr., 64, of Bremen and Wallingford, Conn., passed away peacefully Feb. 26 after a long battle with cancer. An avid patriot, Ed served his country as a Second Petty Class Officer in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War. After enlisting in 1966, he quickly climbed the ranks, becoming the Team Leader of his unit, the Sea Cobra for Inshore, Undersea Warfare Group I. He was a heavily decorated officer, receiving a Bronze Star Medal with Combat V, a National Defense Service Medal, a Vietnam Service Medal with One Silver Star, a Combat Action Ribbon, and a Vietnamese Gallantry Cross Medal. Always responding to the call of duty, he later joined the Wallingford Fire Department, where he worked for 32 years, only to retire as Captain and join the Bremen Fire Department as a volunteer.
Following his time in war, he married the girl he met in high school, Miriam Hager Gryga, and together they embarked on over 40 years of marriage. Together they would come every weekend and on vacations to the “Muscrat House,” a small cabin on a hill in Bremen, where they enjoyed the finer things in life: a stiff martini, fishing, boating, and being with their closest family and friends. Never weary of hard work, Ed loved helping his friends haul shrimp or take down a trophy moose in the North Maine Woods. It was not uncommon to see him hard at work – mowing lawns, cleaning gutters, clearing land, cutting wood, and maintaining all of his floating toys. He was always the first guy to lend a helping hand and the last to come in after a hard day’s work.
He is survived by his daughters, Kimberly Gryga Johnson and Michele Gryga; grandchildren, Jesse and Paige Johnson; and sisters, Geraldine Stempien, Noreen Brooder and Jean Deary.
Services were held in Wallingford, Conn.
In lieu of flowers, gifts in his memory may be sent to Miles Memorial Hospital, 35 Miles St., Damariscotta, ME 04543.