Mrs. Grull likes to say that she began her life as a Methodist, and she's thrilled to be back to her Methodist roots here on the Traceway Campus! When she was a school girl in Oskaloosa, Iowa, during World War II, Mrs. Grull expected to become a music teacher, and all her efforts were directed toward that goal. At William Penn College, where she met her future husband, Arthur, her goals underwent major changes. She became a minister's wife and church organist, helping her husband with his congregation and his calling to preach the Good News.
As time passed, she raised her three children and took great joy in watching them pursue musical endeavors, using their gifts for the Lord. When her husband retired from the ministry and Mrs. Grull found that her sense of hearing was failing, she prayed that God had another artistic outlet with which she could glorify Him. As her chapter in the world of music came to a close, God opened up a world of art and painting to her. "He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it," she reminds us, adding that God never leaves His children or forsakes them. She was excited about the new challenge in the world of art which lay before her.
At the age of forty, and now profoundly deaf, Mrs. Grull attended and graduated from the Westport, Connecticut Famous Artists School and engaged in a continuous pursuit of excellence in painting. This led to further studies in watercolor, drawing and portraiture with well-renowned artists all over the U.S. Mrs. Grull was commissioned by the American Telephone and Telegraph Company to do a portrait of a typical operator at the overseas switchboard for their Denver Communications Center.
This led to many other commissioned portraits in private collections around the country. One of her favorite commissioned portraits was that of Denver Broncos Quarterback John Elway. The portrait was commissioned by his wife, and hung in the Broncos headquarters, and later in the Elway home. Mrs. Grull received a lovely photo and thank you letter from Mrs. Elway, which she treasures. Mrs. Elway and Mrs. Grull went on to enjoy a lovely friendship for years to come. Mrs. Grull is still an avid football fan and can be found watching football any time a game is on, no matter who's playing!