Father, 85, saw Newport blossom

Newport Beach resident Bill Grundy, a prominent historian who was influential in the development of Linda Isle, has died at the age of 85.

Grundy, who founded the Newport Beach Historical Society in 1968 and had served as its president since, died Friday at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, family members said Wednesday.

“My father led a charmed life,” Grundy’s son, Gordy Grundy, said. “Much of that charm is due to his time and place in history. He grew up with Newport. He witnessed the charm of Newport Beach as it blossomed from a raw, sleepy beach town into an international resort.”

As a sales manager for the Irvine Co. from 1967 to 1969, Grundy helped develop Linda Isle and personally sold off all the lots on the island.

Grundy took prospective buyers around the harbor in a small skiff called the Linda Islander.

The Irvine Co. created the Linda Isle from a mudflat. The developers carved out a turning circle for yachts in the middle, giving the island its distinctive horseshoe shape.

Linda Isle was once known as Shark Island, named for the sand sharks that use to swim offshore.

It was always a sore point for Grundy that the Irvine Co. re-named the island after heiress Linda Irvine, the granddaughter of James Irvine II.

Grundy had been a resident of Lido Isle since 1950 and served as an usher at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church for 50 years.

“Bill was a Newport icon with his navy blue blazer, regimental cardinal and gold tie and the obligatory white bucks,” said Grundy’s longtime friend Roger Riley.

Grundy was born Feb. 20, 1924. His father, Gordon Milton Grundy, was the first doctor in Newport Beach and was credited with saving the city from the 1918 influenza epidemic.

Grundy graduated from Newport Harbor High School in 1941.

He served in the U.S. Navy on a minesweeper and submarine during World War II. After the war, Grundy earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering from USC and a master’s degree in business administration. Later he found work in Newport Beach as an engineer for Beckman Instruments and Hughes Aircraft.

The Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce named Grundy its Citizen of the Year in 2002.

“We’ll miss him,” said fellow Citizen of the Year inductee Evelyn Hart. “No matter what Bill did, everyone really respected him. He helped so many people and stayed active all the way up until the end.”

Grundy is survived by wife, Audrey Grundy, son, Gordy Grundy, daughter, Lisa Johnson, son-in-law, Bill Johnson; grandson Wills Johnson, sister Helen Ann Langmade, and numerous nephews and nieces. Services are pending.