Richard Droege Griffith (Dick), aged 93, a resident of Lewiston, Idaho, and former resident of Libby, Montana, died of natural causes on Sunday, August 22, 2010, at the Cooney Home Rehabilitation Center in Helena, Montana.
Dick was born September 5, 1916 on a homestead near Custer, Montana, the youngest of five children of William Thomas Griffith and Helena Shoemaker Griffith. He was placed in a shoebox in the oven to keep him warm. He attended Centerville High School near Sand Coulee, Montana where his father was Superintendant of Schools. Dick finished high school at age 16 and took a year off to raise chickens before beginning college. He graduated from the University of Montana in 1939 and received a Masters degree in Forestry from Yale University in 1940. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II in the Aleutians. His first employment after finishing his education was with the J. Neils Lumber Company (which later merged with the St. Regis Paper Company) in Libby, Montana. He continued to work for St. Regis for 43 years, working his way up to Chief Forester, until he retired in 1982, having spent the last few years at their operation in Maine. He built an extensive forestry program where there had been none through his commitment to sustained yield. He and his crew of foresters reforested large sections of land with seedlings he grew from seeds that they collected.
Dick married Phyllis Wohlgenant, daughter of Lawrence Wohlgenant and Mildred Babcock Wohlgenant of Miles City, Montana on February 11, 1942. The couple spent most of their married life in a home they built at 1015 Nevada Avenue in Libby. They were the parents of four children. Dick and Phyllis were active members of the First Methodist Church. Dick also served several terms on the Libby School Board. He was a member of the Toastmasters club for over 30 years. In his leisure time Dick enjoyed hiking, gardening, fishing, golfing and spending time at the family’s lot on Crystal Lake. Phyllis died on October 5, 1973 of breast cancer.
On July 15, 1974, Dick married Joane Wohlgenant, of Pullman, Washington, sister of his deceased wife Phyllis. Dick and Joane made their home first in Libby, where Dick’s youngest daughter was still in high school, and then for a few years in Brewer, Maine with his job transfer. After Dick’s retirement in 1982, they moved to Lewiston, Idaho, where they resided for many years on Powers Drive. Dick and Joane were members of the Congregational Presbyterian Church in Lewiston where he served on the Mission Committee. Dick was also a longtime member of the Society of American Foresters and a member of the Outlook Club in Lewiston. In retirement, Dick devoted himself to many volunteer activities, notably with the Clarkston/Lewiston Habitat for Humanity, where he served as Chairman for about seven years. The Griffith Plat in Lewiston, where several Habitat homes were built, was named for Dick, and he and Joane sponsored one Habitat home themselves.
Even as Dick greatly advanced in years, he was always young at heart, telling his children about his volunteer work with Interlink taking “old people” (usually younger than himself) to their doctor’s appointments. Only in the last year of his life did he have to give up driving and most of his charitable activities. At his death, Dick was just a few weeks shy of his 94th birthday and it was a blessing that he was able to live independently in his own home with his wife, Joane, until only four weeks before his death and that his children and grandchildren, who had gathered for a nearby family reunion, were able to visit with him at the Cooney Home in Helena just two weeks before his death. Dick was devoted to his family, his church and his community. No one could have asked for a better husband or father or grandpa. He will be sorely missed, not only by his family but by all who knew him.
Dick is survived by his wife of 36 years, Joane Wohlgenant Griffith, of Lewiston, Idaho and by his four children: Larry Alan Griffith (wife Julia) of Osprey, Florida; Brenda Kay Holland (Mrs. Thomas) of Delta, Colorado; JoAnn Chambers (Mrs. Dwight) of Montana City, Montana; and Allyson James (Mrs. Michael) of Wilmington, North Carolina. He is also survived by nine grandchildren: Anthony Andrew Holland (wife Beth); Beau Walter Chambers (wife Jenna); Dr. Allison C. Long (Mrs. Phillip); Laura Hope Holland; Benjamin Forbes Griffith; Cameron Drew Chambers; Nathan Griffith James, Mariah Hope Chambers, and Alexander Chase James and by three great-grandchildren (Finnegan Long, Violet Long and Hudson Chambers) as well as by a large extended family of nieces and nephews.
Dick was preceded in death by his first wife Phyllis Wohlgenant Griffith and by his four siblings: Elizabeth Virginia Griffith Hermes (Mrs. Edward) of Paradise, Montana; Frank Shoemaker Griffith of Palmerton, Pennsylvania; Caroline Ella Griffith Duffy (Mrs. Harold) of Turlock, California; and Robert Wilson Griffith of Columbus, Ohio.
A memorial service for family and friends to celebrate the life of Richard D. Griffith will be held on Saturday, August, 28, 2010 at 11:00am at the Congregational Presbyterian Church in Lewiston, Idaho. He will be buried with military honors on Monday, August 30, 2010 at the Montana State Veterans Cemetery in Fort Harrison, Montana in a simple graveside service for immediate family members. Donations in Dick’s memory can be sent to the Lewiston-Clarkston Partners Habitat for Humanity, PO Box 317, 1242 Highland Avenue, Clarkston, WA 99403 OR to the Congregational Presbyterian Church, 709 6th St Lewiston, ID, 83501. Local arrangements have been entrusted to Anderson Stevenson Wilke Funeral Home.
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Connie Peck-Youso says
I remember you dad so fondly. I especially remember on Sunday mornings he would make breakfast for everyone. I never thought of any of you kids without thinking how blessed you were to have him for a father.
You all have my thoughts and prayers.
Sincerely, Connie