Jeannie Grand, former Graphics Editor for The Daily Breeze, died on Aug. 18, 2012 after a four-month illness.  Jeannie shared a birthday and alma mater with her dear friend and colleague John Bogert, who predeceased her on July 29. She had a wonderful sense of humor and a great artistic eye and was a gifted raconteur. 

Born on Oct. 7, 1944 in Upland, CA., to Winifred Metcalfe Grand and John Louis Rochon Grand, Jeannie was raised in Gainesville, FL., where her father  headed the Department of Architecture at the University of Florida and her mother taught at Gainesville High School.  The Metcalfe School, which still exists in Gainesville, was named for Jeannie’s grandmother. 

Jeannie graduated from the University of Florida with a B.A. in English; she was both a Tri-Delt and a Sigma Alpha Epsilon little sister.  It was here that she discovered her great love of football, which would become a lifelong passion.  She was a rabid Gator fan.   

After college she worked as a teacher on a houseboat in Coral Gables, followed by a stint at the Miami News in its Sports Department.  In January 1979, she relocated to Manhattan Beach, CA., to be near her sister Kathy Smith and niece Alexandra Smith, and to work at the Daily Breeze.  She was a writer and layout designer until 1984 when she was promoted to Graphics Editor.   

At the Daily Breeze, she helped lead the newspaper's redesign and ultimately helped create the RAVE! section. Known for her expertise in typography, she earned the moniker Font B*tch from a co-worker.  During this time she also was thrilled to participate in stories that brought her into contact with such luminaries as Edith Head and then-ABC president Bob Iger.  Her Twin Peaks page earned her a fan letter from Iger, now Disney CEO.   

As the newspaper industry contracted in the late 1990s, Jeannie took early retirement. She then taught Graphic Design at Brooks College in Long Beach.   

A Jimmy Buffet fan, she was quite taken with his song Growing Older But Not Up.  This should have been her anthem.  Jeannie had the heart and wonder of a child and loved toys and collected children’s books. In the 1980's, Jeannie became the founder and charter member of the Not-Ready-To-Grow-Up club. Initiation rites included the presentation of fairy wands to new members. 

One day in the early 1990s, her neighbor Marianne Younkheere overheard a little boy say really loudly, "Mama says we can't call him Uncle Fishhead anymore!"  Jeannie loved this story, and thus the character of Uncle Fishhead was born.  She created many incarnations of him in her Christmas cards over the years.  When she had her hip replaced, she translated this to Uncle Fishhead, but in his case the joint was reconfigured with a Tinkertoy.