William Payne Grider

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved William "Will" Payne Grider, who went to be with Jesus on May 28, 2024. Will was born on March 9, 2023, in Tulsa to his loving parents, Andrew and Emily Grider. From the moment he arrived, he was a cherished addition to the family, bringing immense joy and love to everyone he met. Will was welcomed with open arms by his big brother, Carson, and his big sister, Hadley. From the beginning, his big siblings loved holding Will and helping take care of him. They sung the sweetest songs to him and earned Will's first giggles playing peek-a-boo with him. Will was so content being around his siblings; we imagined that he was thankful for the home he was born into: full of love and noise and toys and two built-in best friends for life. As he grew and became mobile, he reciprocated their love with hugs and waves and blowing kisses. They all 3 would play "babies" and crawl-chase around the house. Will wrestled all of us when we laid on the ground; he was getting so silly, he would find one of our arms or legs or even bellies and blow the biggest "raspberry" and everyone would laugh. He loved copying our noises and loved when we would copy his, he was so present with us and paying attention to everything. At dinner he figured out if he raised both of his arms straight in the air, the big kids would copy him! He would hold them up until mommy and daddy copied also and then slam them down to his tray laughing. He loved playing outside, swinging, splashing in the bath, eating every food we put in front of him, racing hot wheel cars, throwing balls, and going on every adventure and play date. He was our little buddy and so so special. Will had a special way of greeting his daddy and others with a hug when he saw them, he would let others hold him for a little while, but his deepest bond was with his mom. If she was around, he would leap out of others' arms just to be with her. His favorite place to be was on his mama's left hip. He would grip with his little hand the back of her shirt and would happily be carried everywhere. Will was always ahead of his time, often wearing clothes sized for children older than he was, a testament to his robust nature. He was born with a lot of hair and it grew quickly into a beautiful strawberry blonde color. He had already had two haircuts! His hair was getting blonder and blonder each time we cut it. He had the brightest blue eyes that everyone was quick to comment on how beautiful they were. He was known affectionately by Carson as "baby brudder" and by Hadley as "baby woah woah," Will was "Will Man" and "Little Buddy" to his dad and "angel baby" to his mom. His life was a miracle and his memory will forever be cherished by his parents, Emily (Walker) Grider and Andrew Grider; his siblings, Carson and Hadley; his grandparents, Linda and Rocki Walker and Ron and Sally Grider; his aunts and uncles, Eric and Julie Walker and Amy and Brent West; and his cousins, Blair, Brooklyn, Blake, and Samantha. Will is also survived by a host of other loving family and friends who will miss him dearly. Will's time with us was short, but we are reminded that each of us have only a small amount of time here within the scope of eternity. Will's impact was immeasurable. He brought laughter, love, and warmth to our lives and will forever remain in our hearts as a precious and perfect gift from God. Rest in peace, sweet Will. You will always be our little angel. "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed." Psalms 34:18 NLT Will's life will be celebrated at 11:00am on Friday, June 7, 2024 at South Tulsa Baptist Church, 10310 S Sheridan Rd, Tulsa, OK 74133 . In lieu of flowers, please donate to the William Grider Memorial-Early Learning Program. kindridgiving.com/App/Form/32a23def-2a48-4320-8142-7c70e3857a76 or make a donation to the SUDC Foundation. Donate Now | SUDC Foundation

William Payne Grider

March 9, 2023 - May 28, 2024