Obituaries

Gary H. Griffiths

Died Nov. 15, 2013

CLEVELAND TOWNSHIP - Gary Halson Griffiths—“Griff”, 84, of Leelanau and Oakland Counties, was reunited with late wife and love of his life, Barbara Waller Griffiths on November 15.

   Recently best known as a patient and innovative ski instructor, Griff was also a progressive professor of industrial design at Auburn University, an automobile designer for Chrysler and Ford, church builder, community builder, jitterbug-contest winner, jazz enthusiast, civil rights supporter in the segregated south, prankster, painter, photographer, automobile and sailboat racer, and baseball coach.

   He served honorably as a Wolfhound during the Korean War, an experience that profoundly shaped his understanding of the human condition.  He is especially mourned by his children, to whom he gave sage counsel in late night conversations and hours-long telephone calls, offered capacious love, compassion, and forgiveness across all our stages of growth and the miles that rose up between us.

   He will be best remembered for his ability to tell a good story.  He will live on through those stories, each of us a thread of the many winding yarns he spun for us, to us, and about us - yarns which formed our character, shaped our senses of humor, and developed our appreciation for a complexly-layered world in which we each have a story to tell.

    Gary is survived by his children, Robin (Don) Gibbin, Cindy   Drummond, Carron (Tim) Edington, Brett Griffiths (Sebastian Zoellner), Christopher (Mary Ann Kaylor) Griffiths, and Timothy (Garen Nigon) Griffiths, and grandchildren, Charlotte and Elizabeth Gibbin, Ashley (Brian) Bowen, Amanda Steele, Aaron and Raphael Zoellner, and a single great grandson, Brycen Bowen.

   To celebrate Gary’s life, a memorial Torchlight Ski Run will be held at the Homestead Resort in Glen Arbor on January 3, 2014 at 7 PM, followed by a small, casual reception.   

   Please RSVP by contacting the family directly or follow the link at http://bit.ly/1jpD0RN

   In lieu of flowers, his family requests donations be made to Living Arts Detroit at http://www.livingartsdetroit.org/ or the Freedom Builders Association of Grand Traverse at http://www.fbmissions.org/support.  The best way to remember Gary is to tell a story in his absence tonight and to share love and laughter with those you hold most dear.    Please share memories with Griff’s family at the online obituary at www.martinson.info.
   Arrangements are with the Martinson Funeral Home of Suttons Bay.