Donald B Grugin

Services for Donald B. Grugin, 84, will be held Tuesday at 10:30am at Harrod Brothers Funeral Home. Visitation at the funeral home will be Monday from 5-8pm , with burial followed at the Frankfort Cemetery. Mr. Grugin passed on January 4, 2013. Born on July 10, 1928, he was the son of the late Pascal and Rachel Grugin. He was raised in Dayton, Ohio. Upon graduation from Fairmont High school, he enrolled at the University of Kentucky, where he was a member and Treasury Officer for Kappa Alpha fraternity and was also a member of the Golf team. In 1950, he graduated from the University of Kentucky. Following graduation he entered the United States Army where he served in Germany from 1950-1952, as a 2nd Lieutenant and Platoon leader. He later served in the Army Reserves. During his time in the Army Reserves, he received a commendation for efforts during the Floyd County KY bus crash in 1958. He began his professional career with Goodyear Tire and Rubber, and in 1960, he started Grugin Oil Company, in Frankfort, KY and was an Oil Jobber for Phillips 66, and Marathon Oil and Shell Oil Company over the next 30 plus years, and served as Board Chairman for the Kentucky Petroleum Marketers Association. He was a member of the VFW, Jaycees and the Elks Lodge in Frankfort, and dedicated many years as a School Board Member for Franklin County Public School systems. He was also on the National Board of Directors for Meals on Wheels. During his time in Frankfort, Mr. Grugin was also very politically involved in the Democratic Party and served under four (4) governors including being the Grand Marshall for the Inaugural parade under Martha Layne Collins. He was appointed to the Alcohol Beverage Control Board as Distilled Spirits Administrator from 1983-1987, and as the Alcohol Beverage Control Commissioner from 1992 until his retirement in 1997. Mr. Grugin also had a true love for the horse racing industry and was a prolific horse owner over the years, partnering with Fred Bradley as well as his own sons in ownership of numerous thoroughbreds. In his retirement years you could find Mr. Grugin playing golf and attending the Keeneland meets each season with his wife, Patricia Hall Grugin, who he was married to for 59 years, and who preceded him in death in 2009. Mr. Grugin is survived by his three children, Michael D. Grugin, Patrick A. Grugin (Tonya), and Nancy G. Gruen (Dennis), many nieces, nephews, as well as several grandchildren and great grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Hospice of the Bluegrass/Frankfort Office, 663 Teton Trail, Frankfort, KY 40601.

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Donald B Grugin

July 10, 1928 - January 4, 2013