RICHARD ‘DICK’ GRIFFITH
Richard “Dick” Griffith passed away on February 16th, at UC Davis Medical Center Hospital with his family at his side. Richard was a loving husband to his wife Marsha, father to Jim (Van) Griffith, Anne Griffith (deceased), Julie (Sean) Little, step-son Jeff (Tina) Bohn, grandfather to Leah and Keira Little and Zack and Sydney Bohn, and his dog Rocky.
Richard was born on December 18, 1937 to George and Josephine Griffith in Evanston, Illinois. He grew up in Skokie, Illinois and graduated from Northwestern University. He served his country in the Air Force, retiring as Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force Reserves. He received his Masters in Nuclear Health Physics from UC Berkeley, and he worked as a physicist in Radiation Protection for the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and later for the United Nations as a diplomat and technical advisor with the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, Austria. He and Marsha lived in Vienna for a decade before returning to Lodi. He was a member and Past Exalted Ruler (PER) of the Lodi Elks Lodge 1900, active in Emanuel Lutheran Church, Editor of the Health Physics Radiation Safety Journal, active in SIRS, Master Gardener, volunteer on the Board of Woodbridge Greens Association and volunteer for Loel Senior Center Meals on Wheels.
Richard loved telling dad jokes, although the quality of those jokes was a matter of family debate. He relished annual trips with Marsha, close friends and family to Hot August Nights in Reno. He cared about his country, the state of the world, and his Sacramento Kings. He enjoyed wine and cooking, often at the same time. He traveled the world with Marsha, both for work and for fun. He took great pains to capture everything his family did in video and to preserve the best memories. He was brilliant, loving, caring, kind and funny. And he liked listening to Johnny Cash and Roy Clark.
A Celebration of Richard’s Life will be held on Saturday, February 29 at 10:30 a.m. at Emanuel Lutheran Church, 1540 W. Lodi Ave., Lodi, with a reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, please consider contributions in memory of Richard V. Griffith to UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center for the Pancreatic Cancer Research fund, payable to UC Davis Foundation (Health Sciences Development, 4900 Broadway Suite 1150, Sacramento, CA 95820) or to American Heart Association (PO Box 78851, Phoenix, AZ 85062) or to charity of your choice.
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