Akron’s St.
John Lutheran Church, 550 Wilbeth Road, will host a public memorial service at 1 p.m. Sunday for an Akron mother and her son who were murdered in their Johnston Street home. Julianna Grna, 85, and her 43-year-old son Alan Grna were the victims of an apparent robbery July 17. Charged with this heinous crime is Johnnie Deshawn Cook, 31, a local ne’er-do-well with a history of arrests for drug abuse and aggravated robbery. ”Julianna and her husband, Andrew, immigrated to the United States from Czechoslovakia, after the second World War,” said the Rev. Howard F. Grether II, the church’s pastor. ”Andrew preceded them in death in 1996. ”Julianna was a classically trained opera singer who had been featured in several of the church’s anniversary celebrations. Several of the recordings of her performances will be featured in the memorial service,” Grether continued. In other words, these were people who contributed to society in beautiful and meaningful ways. Hard workers. And givers, in the truest sense. You are encouraged to attend, to honor this family’s contributions and to say a formal good-bye.
Tossing honors