SALISBURY — If someone came up with a list of people who cared about Salisbury Beach, the late William Greilich Jr. would likely be one of the first names added.
For years, Greilich, who died Wednesday at age 70 after a lengthy illness, was instrumental in not only preserving Salisbury Beach but spearheading efforts to rejuvenate it so that future generations could enjoy a day at the beach.
At the time of his death, Greilich was president of the Salisbury Beach Betterment Association. He was also a member of the Salisbury Beach Partnership board of directors and chaired the Committee on Grants and Charitable Appropriations.
“I really enjoyed engaging with Bill over the years,” Town Manager Neil Harrington wrote in an email. “He was committed on so many levels to improving the quality of life for citizens of Salisbury. Once he sunk his teeth into an issue, you knew he was going to give it his best effort.”
“Every community needs people like Bill Greilich who generously give of their time and ask nothing in return,” Harrington added. “He was a voice for positive change in our community, and I am going to miss him.”
Over the past few years, one of Greilich’s greatest accomplishments – and one that brought considerable pride – was establishing the Salisbury Beach Resiliency Task Force, now known as the Merrimack River Beach Alliance Salisbury Beach Subcommittee.
“Bill was genuine, if you were talking to Bill, you know you were the focus on his attention,” said John Housianitis, a longtime friend and SBBA secretary.
“Bill was someone who brought people together,” he added. “Bill always saw the positive in people and the things that could happen in Salisbury. Bill worked tireless to make sure good things happened for Salisbury.”
In recent years, Greilich helped bring a carousel back to Salisbury Beach with his involvement in the Campaign for the Historic Carousel that helped raise money to build a new pavilion for a vintage carousel now spinning off Broadway.
Well before that, Greilich volunteered at the carousel located at the beach center for years before closing.
More recently, he and his wife, Monique Greilich, accepted donations for a memorial bench that was placed outside the Salisbury Carousel Pavilion to honor longtime board member Lou Masiello, who died in November.
The SBBA was formed to promote and encourage goodwill and friendship among residents, to protect and promote the best interests of Salisbury Beach residents, to protect and improve the beach, and to work with national, state, county and town officials to achieve those goals.
More than 600 people are involved in the SBBA, according to former President Ray Champagne.
Champagne said he was “really happy” when William Greilich offered to succeed him after 12 years as the leader.
“I was really grateful and impressed by his ability to continue the SBBA’s issues. He was very well-liked,” Champagne said.
Near the end of his life, Greilich was too ill to lead SBBA meetings, a responsibility that shifted to Treasurer Don Egan, who tackled issues involving shuttered beach access points and sand replenishment efforts.
Egan said Greilich’s death will leave a big hole in the organization.
“He was so good about bringing people together, to bridge differences between different schools of thought. He was very kind and inclusive. He wanted to make sure everyone was heard,” Egan said. “He definitely encouraged people to explain why they felt a certain way — he definitely had a skill for that.”
Egan said the board will continue its push to protect Salisbury Beach as much as possible and address what he called the “erosion crisis” facing property owners.
“Over the next couple months, we’ll get together and figure out the path going forward,” he said. “It’s not easy. It takes a special kind of person and Bill was that great kind of guy.”
Longtime friend C.J. Fitzwater called Greilich a selfless man who loved Salisbury.
“He always was extremely prepared for every meeting. He will be missed,” Fitzwater said.
Greilich was born in Pittsfield and grew up in Adams, where he worked from an early age alongside his father and grandfather Fritz at Greilich’s Market, a specialty meat market. His father was a fifth-generation butcher whose business originated in Germany.
He graduated in 1971 from Hoosac Valley High School, where he played varsity football and ran track. Greilich had a lifelong obsession with sports, and was a devoted New England Patriots fan and member of Red Sox Nation.
He loved hiking Mount Greylock in Adams with his sons and longtime friends. Traveling was a favorite pastime. He visited six continents and particularly enjoyed a safari in Tanzania.
After living in Wenham for 30 years, William and Monique moved to Salisbury, where they had a summer home. While raising their three children, he was very active in youth sports and coached baseball, soccer and basketball.
For many years, he was the president of the Hamilton Wenham Youth Football League and a Cubmaster. He was widely admired by 8-year-olds because of his elephant jokes, according to his obituary.
Greilich had a 40-year career in the financial services industry and retired as a senior relationship executive with Bank of New York Mellon in 2018. His colleagues describe him as very well-respected due to his tenacity, fairness and affable manner. In 2007, he was named Man of the Year by the National Investment Company Service Association.
He is survived by his wife of 45 years; his daughter, Danielle (Jay Vyas) of Mountain View, California; son Nicholas (Linette Letendre) of Essex Junction, Vermont, and son Paul (Erika Constantine) of Jupiter, Florida. He is also survived by his father, William Greilich Sr., his sister Jan Goolbis, and close friend Rob Goolbis, all of New Hampshire.
Greilich also leaves four grandchildren: Santi Blas-Vyas, Jay Jay Vyas, Donovan Greilich and Lucia Greilich, along with nieces, nephews and cousins. He was predeceased by his mother, Barbara, in 2019 as well as his grandparents, Fritz and Elizabeth Thoris Greilich and Clement and Lillian (Depelteau) Gagne, all of Adams.
He was a fixture at Salisbury Community TV and Media Center with his show “Salisbury Speaks.” To honor Greilich, SCTV will broadcast interviews and appearances by him at 5 p.m. through Thursday, according to Housianitis.
“A wonderful sense of humor with a twinkle in his eye and was a wonderful storyteller,” Housianitis said.
Affectionally called a “sheep dog” for his ability to herd people together, evidence of that came in recent months as Greilich helped bring state and local leaders to the table to discuss Salisbury Beach dune replenishment and efforts to keep beach access points open to the public.
“Bill was a bright light in a world of darkness. And I’m going to miss him,” Housianitis said.
Dave Rogers is the editor of the Daily News of Newburyport. Email him at: drogers@newburyportnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @drogers41008.