VILLAS — A staunch advocate for gay rights, Vince Grimm served for more than 30 years as the executive director of GABLES of Cape May County. He died Oct. 4 in his home.
Grimm was born and raised in Pottstown, Pa., and joined the U.S. Army at age 17 after high school. He was assigned to intelligence in Korea in 1957.
After his military service, he held various jobs and studied engineering at a local library. Grimm worked on developing thermos couplers for heating systems and lighting for outdoor events. That work led him to meet his husband, Will Kratz, who died in 2017.
During the 1960s, Grimm and Kratz founded the XYZ Club in Reading, Pa. They read, produced and performed in many entertaining drag shows for the community. Grimm and Kratz moved to Cape May County in the 1990s, after having had a vacation home in the area since 1964. Grimm became active in the LGBT non-profit group GABLES of Cape May County. He was appointed its executive director, holding the position until his death.
GABLES was founded in 1995 with a mission as “the gay group doing good things for the entire community.” This year, the organization is celebrating its 30th anniversary.
“Equality Cape May mourns the passing of Vince Grimm, a trailblazer for LGBTQIA+ rights in Cape May County and across New Jersey,” Equality Cape May founder Ann McCabe said. “Vince grew up in a time when being gay meant facing isolation and few supports, yet he believed deeply in the power of community and devoted his life to building it for others.”
Equality Cape May is an all-volunteer group whose mission is to build and strengthen the local community and ally with other LGBTQIA+ organizations.
“We at Equality Cape May are forever grateful for his courage, leadership and love,” McCabe said. “We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends, and to all who were touched by Vince’s extraordinary spirit.”
Grimm supported several area LGBTQIA+ groups, including the South Jersey AIDS Alliance, and spent hundreds of hours working on the legalization of domestic partnerships, civil unions and same-sex marriages in New Jersey. The state’s domestic partnership registry and civil unions law took effect in 2007.
In a 2012 interview with the Washington Blade, Grimm said he and Kratz entered into a civil union two days after the law took effect.
This summer, Grimm served as grand marshal of the third annual We Belong Cape May County OC Pride Fest. During the event, Grimm spoke along with Dan Rogan of the Trans Equity Coalition and GABLES President Craig Van Baal. Their message included heartfelt pleas for support within the LGBTQIA+ community and calls for action.
Grimm and Kratz traveled the world together, visiting 72 countries. Their second home became Hanoi, Vietnam, where they saw a need and created the Nguyen Xuân Quynh VinceWill Foundation. The goal of NXQVW is to provide tools and resources to help fatherless children and families in Vietnam thrive.
Contributions to the charity can be made to the Nguyen Xuân Quynh VinceWill Foundation at NXQVW.org or by mail at P.O. Box 205, Villas, NJ 08251.
By RACHEL SHUBIN/Special to the Star and Wave
