Jonathan H. Granville
Jonathan grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut, being born on July 2nd, 1954. He passed away on December 7, 2012, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Jonathan never failed to point out that July 2nd was also the date when the Continental Congress actually voted to declare independence, from Great Britain, though the 4th got all the glory due to the formal written declaration. He was the son of Harold and Doris Granville of Greenwich, Connecticut and Naples, Florida. Upon graduation from high school, Jonathan moved to Philadelphia to attend the Philadelphia College of Art arriving in the early 70's. There, he majored in bookbinding and printmaking and fell in love with Center City, becoming a lifelong resident.
Jonathan's vibrant personality attracted people from all walks of life. He made whomever he met feel as if they were important to him. This attitude enabled him to make friends easily with individuals from all walks of life. After his passing, Jonathan’s partner received a call from a homeless man whom he and Jonathan had befriended and provided with work, when they could. This man called, saying he sat down and wept on learning that Jonathan had passed away, stating, “He was a wonderful man. Whenever I saw him, he always said something to me that made me smile.”
When he decided to change careers and entered the field of retail sales, his success was guaranteed because of his love of people. Jonathan moved into retail sales, following in his Father’s footsteps, as his Father had once owned a men’s shop in Greenwich and later been an executive at Hart Schaffner & Marx. Jonathan partnered with Percy Sadler's menswear in New Market and subsequently went to work at Brooks Brothers. He remained there for several years developing a loyal clientele. A consummate salesman, he switched gears and took his expertise to Strawbridge & Clothier and later to Travelers Emporium. Once again, he developed a loyal following, aided by his own passion for travel. Following the closing of Travelers Emporium, he worked at Black's Bag and Baggage until its close in late 2009.
In 1985, he met his life-long partner, Conley Heaberlin. A casual meeting, turned into a friendship. Then, within months after their initial meeting, Jonathan's apartment burned down. Conley had just purchased a property on Pemberton Street when Jonathan showed up in the middle of the night, wreathed in smoke, with only the clothes on his back. Conley made a decision that would forever change both of their lives. He offered Jonathan refuge and the rest is history. This history includes 27 years together, renovations to Pemberton House, as Jonathan named it, and traveling the world to fill the home with treasures.
Though they traveled to many countries, they had a special love for Paris, last traveling there in September. Before this year's trip to Paris Jonathan did not feel well. Though some of their usual activities had to be curtailed or dismissed altogether, the trip was wonderful as usual. This is significant as it would be their last. Shortly after their return Jonathan was diagnosed with lung cancer. He passed away three months to the day he left for Paris. To say that Jonathan handled the news and his illness with dignity and grace would be an understatement.
Throughout, Jonathan has collected a treasure trove of life-long friends. He cut a fine figure as he strolled Rittenhouse Square and other Center City neighborhoods. Well known to many merchants, vendors, and residents of the area, his charming personality made him a pleasure to know. He was a sensitive, dapper man of elegance and substance with a sense of style that must have come embedded in his DNA. It delighted him to make the world just a little more beautiful. He seemed to always be able to grasp the big picture and yet had a gift for noticing the most minute detail.
His had a gentle sense of humor, though often full of biting wit, and was the king of repartee. Our lives have been enriched by his words and phrases. He practiced the art of conversation as often as he could, with a spark and warmth that made him a great entertainer and story teller!
Jonathan loved culture in every sense and always enjoyed learning about the culture of another land and seeing life through another's eyes. He always wanted to learn more about this or that. Knowledge and education was a sacred thing and to be experienced every day if possible. His soul was always one of a great, glowing, flowing over-the-top luminous energy.
He would take on the world to help those who he felt needed him and proved that on more than one occasion. After the Asian tsunami of 2004, Jonathan was instrumental in securing $400,000 in pledges for relief organizations from members of the Philadelphia and New York Jewish communities.
All of his friends know the story of his rescuing a young woman from three muggers in the wee hours of the morning several years ago. Although Jonathan too was quite battered and bruised, the one thug had to be taken to the hospital and the damsel in distress escaped without harm.
Jonathan passed away at home, in his partner’s arms, a friend and family members having been at his side most of the previous day and night. In addition to his partner, Conley Heaberlin, he is survived by a sister, Betsy Jones of King of Prussia, and a nephew, Toby Elliott-Jones, who resides with his wife, Jodi, in Seattle, Washington. He leaves them, and friends around the globe, to mourn his passing. Jonathan requested a simple cremation, with arrangements made by Fertig Funeral Home of Mullica Hill, New Jersey.
Toby, his nephew, said, “Jonathan, my uncle, was the closest thing to an entire family of love rolled into one individual. He was the embodiment of adventure, spirit, and Chutzpah, and the most real, of any person I've known. He will be missed always.”
At Jonathan’s request, a party to celebrate his life will be held early next year. He also asked that any memorial donations be sent to Heifer International, a charitable organization with a world-wide vision and program. Heifer International can be reached at 800.422.0474 or www.heifer.org
Friends from Virginia Beach may have summed it up best when, in reference to Jonathan’s wishes re Heifer International, they wrote:
It’s telling that Jonathan was thinking of the wider world and its needs as he was leaving it.
Requiescat in Pace