Richard Griffin

Although a bit unruly in his younger years, Richard Griffin grew to be a lovingly dedicated and hard working family man. He had overcome much heartache throughout his life, however, after finding his one true love, he had renewed strength that could endure anything life had to offer.

The world was not a very safe place the year the Richard was born. World War II showed little signs of abatement as more and more U.S. troops shipped out for the European continent. At the same time, thousands of women stood united and labored to keep domestic industries running full steam. It was a time of unity, patriotism and hope.

Richard began his life in the bustling town of Detroit, Michigan, on August 17, 1943. He was one of four children born to George and Catherine (Van Derworp) Griffin. The family later moved to Walled Lake, Michigan where Richard’s childhood took place mostly within the comforts of the idyllic 1950s. It was here that Richard was joined by four additional sibblings where they were raised by his father and his second mother Virgina. Always active as a youngster, Richard’s formal education stopped after the eighth grade; he just had too many things to do and places to be. He loved to be outdoors fishing with his father and brother Jimmy. On one not so memorable fishing trip, his dad was demonstrating the proper way of casting but unfortunately, caught Jimmy’s eye with the hook. Luckily, Jimmy’s eye was fine, but needed surgery to remove the hook. His sisters also told the story of a time when their mother would put their big tabby cat outside, but somehow it kept getting back in. Unbeknownst to their mother, Richard had made a hole in his closet floor that the cat became wise to and used to get back in the house. Needless to say, his father wasn’t happy about that!

It was obvious from a young age that Richard was skillfully minded and a very hard worker. Whether it was welding, fabricating or woodworking, he was very talented. Knowing that no school meant getting a job, at 13, Richard worked at Charlie’s Car Wash and later at Ace Hardware. Although he was meticulous when it came to his work ethics, it didn’t hold a candle to his grooming habits. His ironing skills far exceeded those of professional dry cleaners as he took to pressing his shirts and even jeans. His greatest passion, however, was his hair, which his sisters thought he would for sure comb himself bald. As a matter of fact, he couldn’t pass a mirror without checking his hair, pinching his cheeks and flattering himself with “boy, I’m good looking.” Unfortunately, this attitude could be a bit detrimental to an overconfident young man. And at sixteen, Richard learned this hard lesson, at the expense of his four front teeth. From then on, he made sure to befriend the biggest guy in the place.

As a young man, Richard met and married a young lady named Mary. They were blessed with a daughter, Susan, before later parting ways. Soon thereafter, he married again to Jacqueline. Their union was also blessed with two children, Richard Jr. and Kelly. Tragically, Kelly died as an infant and Jackie was unable to cope with her lose and took her own life. This was very hard on Richard and he struggled with their deaths. In the 1990s, Richard’s longtime friend and former brother-in-law, Al Ringle, invited him to stay with him in Paw Paw, Michigan. Here he was not only able to help out a friend, but could also put perspective on his life.

As fate would have it, Richard found the love of his life in the little town of Paw Paw. While at the Dykman in downtown Paw Paw, Richard met a lady named Betty Jo, who was actually there waiting for the bartender to go out on a date. Never one to pass up a great opportunity, Richard asked Betty Jo if he could buy her a drink. A little reluctant, she finally agreed and ordered a Diet Pepsi. This was the beginning of a true love story. After dating for about a year, they were happily married by the Van Buren County Magistrate on May 24, 1993. After several heartaches in life, Richard had found his genuine soul mate in Betty Jo. Their love was evident to everyone and their friends and families all agreed that marrying Betty Jo was the best day of his life. Betty Jo brought more than just love into Richard’s life for she had three children of her own, Mark, Kristine and Steffanie. He welcomed these kids and loved them like they were his own.

A true “Jack of all trades”, Richard took great pleasure in making things for his family. He has left a special “Richard Griffin” legacy with many of his family members of an originally crafted masterpiece somewhere in their homes. Richard was not a man of pretentious taste; he simply loved having bologna on just about everything, and don’t forget the salt and pepper. It seems butter always seemed to find its way onto whatever he was eating as well. In 2002, Richard would once again suffer a setback in his life after his leg was amputated as a result of a vascular disease. With great strength and determination, he persevered and pursed every day with new vigor. From making sure the towels were straight to lining up the labels on the can goods, he kept an obsessively clean house!

Richard Griffin passed away on Saturday, June 19, 2004. He is survived by his wife Betty Jo Griffin; 5 children: Susan Hayes of West Bloomfield, MI, Richard W. Virgin of Twining, MI, Mark (Sarena) Olson of St. Joseph, MO, Kristine (Adam) Bryant of Warren, MI, Steffanie Olson (Joshua Tripp) of Lawton; 6 grandchildren; 8 brothers and sisters: Edward (Patricia) Griffin, Patricia (Edsel) Violette, James (Donna) Griffin, Alice Griffin, Andrea (Dennis) Jablonski, Raymond (Elizabeth) Joras, Helen (Mike) Miller, Patty (Dean) Marsh; and many nieces and nephews. Celebration of Life services will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, June 22, 2004, at the Betzler & Thompson Life Story Funeral Home. Please visit Richard’s personal web page at www.lifestorynet.com where you can read his life story, share a memory, order flowers or make a memorial contribution to Hospice Care of Southwest Michigan.

Although many people will miss having Richard as a close friend, he will be held in special reverence by those who knew him as a grandfather, father, brother and husband.