Carbondale Reporter

Chris Grissom, who formerly served as Murphysboro mayor and as a two-time Jackson County Republican Party chairman, is being remembered as a “good citizen.”

Grissom died unexpectedly on July 12. He was 59.  

Grissom’s long and storied history in politics saw him earn the distinction of becoming the first Republican mayor of Murphysboro in over a century. In addition, he was a retired Illinois Department of Corrections supervisor who worked hand-in-hand with former Gov. Jim Edgar in bringing the Illinois Department Corrections Youth Center to his Murphysboro hometown.

Friends and family point out Grissom was also immensely proud of the role he played in The Driving Dead Series, an anti-drunk driving commercial campaign for the State of Illinois in which he worked alongside "The Walking Dead" star Michael Rooker.

“He was a good citizen,” longtime friend and former Murphysboro Mayor Ron Williams told The Southern Illinoisan about the man he succeeded in the mayor’s office.

U.S. Rep. Mike Bost (R-Illinois), a longtime friend, saluted Grissom for being political without really being a politician.

“He liked to have the connection with the people and could work the inside track that way,” he told The Southern Illinoisan.

With all the partisanship now plaguing the world of politics, in an interview with the Carbondale Reporter late last month Grissom seemed to long for a return to the way things used to be.

“It seems that politics have just taken over everything and that’s something accounting for the haphazard way we’re seeing things being done,” Grissom added. “I can remember a time when good government was considered good politics. Those days are gone and now it’s just politics 24/7.”

Grissom is survived by his four children, two siblings and a host of nieces and nephews. Other survivors include his loving fiancé Joeby Stearns of Jonesboro, and several stepchildren. In lieu of flowers, family members request memorial contributions be made to the educational fund for Alivia and Jude Grissom.