Grayson C. Cleaver Obituary (1978

Grayson Cleaver was born June 2, 1978 in Bremerton, Washington. He is the son of Ron and Reona Cleaver and grew up in Poulsbo. His paternal grandparents were Willis and Dorothy Cleaver and his maternal grandparents were Virgil and Mildred Smith. He is the middle child of seven. His siblings are Ron Jr. (Valista), Chad (Laura), Rachelle Johnson (Carl), Derek (Alyx), Andrea Bernardino (Omar), and Stacey Stevens (Mark). He has numerous cousins, nieces and nephews. Grayson Attended elementary school at Poulsbo and Breideblik. He went to Poulsbo Middle School for his Junior High years. Wile in middle school, Grayson enjoyed wrestling. He placed third in the district finals while competing with a dislocated shoulder. During high school he attended the Skill Center in Bremerton and learned about Collision Repair. He worked in the school cafe, making food to sell. Grayson loved food and enjoyed cooking. H was asked to bring his famous baked beans to all the family gatherings. In high school, Grayson took a pottery class and especially enjoyed doing raku firing with its unique flashes of color. He graduated with the class of 1997. After high school Grayson attended UTI in Glendale, Arizona. He also went to Wyoming and took auto body painting at WYO Tech. Grayson worked at various jobs: Collision repair, Cleaver Construction, UPS air freight, commercial fishing in Alaska, NCA, Courtesy Ford, and dive tender for commercial geoduck harvesting. Grayson enjoyed snowboarding, mountain biking, dirt bikes, snowmobiling, camping at the family cabin and any kind of mechanics or repair of cars, trucks or bikes. Grayson liked to tell stories about his experiences and as he talked the story seemed to get bigger and more fantastic. I'm not sure if he really batted a bear while jogging in Alaska, but that's the story I got. Grayson had many challenges in life. He had ear tubes as a baby and got his first glasses when he was two years old. He had his adenoids and gall bladder removed. He had Lasik surgery on both eyes. He also broke his collar bone while mountain biking. He had braces on his teeth and when he was 18 he had a major jaw surgery to correct a giant underbite. In 2012 Grayson had a bad car accident that damaged his back. He underwent many procedures to try and relieve the pain. This accident was a turning point in his life. He never worked again and lived to the end of his life with pain. Grayson never excelled in academics, so before his accident he tried to stay fit and strong because that was his main asset. He liked to work hard and help others. He never held grudges or felt he needed to retaliate for any wrongs done to him. He took life as it came and accepted the good and the bad with equal humility. The greatest joy in his life was his daughter Olivia. Grayson left this world on July 4, 2021. We are happy for you to be free from pain and able to see and understand the wonders of heaven. We will miss your laugh and unique personality. Families are forever. We love you! Arrangements entrusted to The Stone Chapel "Poulsbo Mortuary". Interment will take place at Cherry Grove Memorial Park, Foss Rd. , Poulsbo, WA.