Kenneth Griffith
1927 – 2024
Kenneth Edward Griffith, beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather passed away January 9, 2024, he was 96.
Ken was born on February 17, 1927, in Chicago, Illinois to Kenneth Evans Griffith and Lillian Fern Bynum Darnall. The family moved several times when Ken and his brother Harry were young, eventually settling in Howell, Michigan.
Ken’s military career began at Kemper Military School, Boonville, Missouri where he attended his junior and senior years of high school. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps Reserve in October of his senior year and was called to active duty immediately upon graduation in 1945, training for air combat crew. World War II ended before he could finish his training, but he served in the Army Air Corps until his discharge in October 1946. He then attended Michigan State College (later Michigan State University), where as a Cadet Colonel in ROTC, he helped organize the first functional USAF cadet wing at MSU. Following graduation with a degree in zoology, he entered the United States Air Force in June 1952 as a Second Lieutenant. He was eventually stationed at Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany where he married his college sweetheart, Elizabeth Adelaide “Teddy” Marie of Detroit, Michigan. After 2 years in Europe, they returned to the United States and Ken earned his MBA from Michigan State.
Ken and family eventually transferred to Hill Air Force Base, Ogden, Utah in 1963. He resigned from the Air Force in 1965 after attaining the rank of Captain and was awarded the USAF Commendation Medal.
Ken and Teddy had fallen in love with Ogden, Utah while stationed at Hill and decided to make it their permanent home where they raised their 3 sons. They took full advantage of Utah’s outdoor recreation opportunities; camping, boating, and skiing were favorite family activities.
Ken continued his career as a contract administrator for The Boeing Company at Hill AFB and later Morton Thiokol in Promontory, Utah, retiring in 1992.
Ken and Teddy traveled extensively in retirement – western Europe, Russia, China, Belize and the lower 48 states. They built their dream vacation home on the northeast shore of Bear Lake in 2000. Many family vacations were spent there, and countless precious memories were made.
Ken was a lifelong hunting and fishing enthusiast, and he always included his sons in all his outdoor pursuits. He was especially fond of bass fishing; in his 90s he was still using a mouse lure he had first discovered as a youth in Michigan. He continued bird hunting until he was 90. It was not unusual for his younger hunting companions to ask, “Can we please take a break for lunch?” His usual answer was “No!”
Dad was a member of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Ogden. He loved his church family and enjoyed singing in the choir.
Ken leaves behind 3 sons: Stephen (Florentia), Purkersdorf, Austria; David (Terrie) Brighton, Brigham City, UT and Paul (Sandy) of Roseville, CA; his brother Harry (Mary), Brighton, MI; 7 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, his half sister Emma Jane Ford and his beloved wife Teddy, who passed away in 2016.
A memorial celebration of life will be held Saturday, February 17, 2024, 12:00 noon at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 140 N. Tyler Avenue, Ogden. A celebratory lunch for family and friends will follow at the Trinity Church fellowship hall. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Ogden Union Station Foundation.
The family extends a special thank you t the staff and caregivers at McKay Dee Hospital, Steward Rehabilitation Center, Pineview Transitional Rehab, the George E. Whalen Ogden Veterans home, and Bristol Hospice for their loving care for Ken during the last months of his life.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.myers-mortuary.com. Services entrusted to Myers Mortuary, 845 Washington Blvd., Ogden, UT.