Grif Vautier was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on July 8, 1942, the firstborn child of A.A. Duke Vautier and Leona Beverley Russell. He graduated from Nashua Sr. High School, Nashua, NH in 1960 and served in the U.S. Air Force during the Viet Nam war from September 1962 to June 1966.
On December 20, 1969, he married Miss Brenda Holly Morrill of Bridgewater, NH. At the time of their wedding Grif was pursuing his career in radio broadcasting, working as a newsman, talk show host and state house reporter for WGIR, Manchester, NH. In 1971, the couple moved to Quincy, MA., so that Grif could finish his BA degree at Eastern Nazarene College. In October of 1975 he accepted a position as the evening host and producer of “Reflections” on WIHS-FM in Middletown CT. When an announcer position opened up at New England’s first 24-hour Christian radio station, WEZE-AM Boston, Grif and Holly moved again back to Quincy, MA.
In May of 1981, Grif received a clear call to study for the ministry and both husband and wife entered Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary to attain Master of Divinity degrees. They completed their courses and received their degrees on Holly’s birthday, May 23, 1986. Both were ordained as ministers of the gospel by the Presbyterian Church, USA, on September 20, 1986. They served as hospital chaplains for five and a half years at Boston City Hospital’s long care units in Mattapan and Long Island in Boston harbor.
Their chaplaincy career came to a close when they accepted a call to co-pastor a small church in upstate New York at Ogdensburg. In May of 1992 they returned to the Bay State and answered a call to the First Congregational Church of Clinton, MA. Some trips to Israel and Australia led the duo to think seriously about moving to the southwest region of America for reasons of health, and they moved to Kingman in the fall of 2000.
Grif was asked to become solo pastor of Kingman Presbyterian Church, where he served until October 1 of 2011. He was very active as the KRMC Chaplaincy coordinator, chairman of the local pastor’s fellowship and volunteer coordinator of the pastoral invocation schedule for the Mohave County Board of Supervisors meetings. In May 2016, the Session voted to honor his years of ministry and service by giving him the title of Pastor Emeritus, an honor that he deeply appreciated.
On June 18, 2020, Rev. Brenda Holly Vautier died of sepsis, ending fifty years and six months of a very special marital partnership, as lovers, co-workers for Christ and the very best of friends.
A.W. Grif Vautier died April 28, 2026, in Las Vegas, NV. He was 83.
Grif was predeceased by his wife, Holly; parents, Leona Beverly (Russell) Vautier and A. A. Duke Vautier; and brother, Dennis Robert Vautier.
He is survived by his brothers, Victor M. Vautier and Valiere C. Vautier of Nashua, NH; and his stepmother, Charlotte Moore.
A Celebration of Life Memorial Service will be held Saturday, May 16, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. at Kingman Presbyterian Church.
Burial will be at Homeland Cemetery in Bristol, New Hamshire, next to his beloved wife, Holly.
In lieu of flowers, please contribute to one of the following ministries in Grif’s memory: Samaritan’s Purse, the Jesus Film, or Open Doors, USA.
