William Griffiths

NORTH JACKSON — William Robert Griffiths Sr., 83, departed peacefully, Tuesday morning, April 25, 2023, at Windsor House at St. Mary’s Alzheimer’s Center in Columbiana.

Bill (Willie, Griff, Dad, Pops, Grandpa, ‘Ole Will) was born and a lifelong resident of Mahoning County.

An Austintown Fitch High School graduate of 1957, post-graduation, he was drafted into the United States Army and served proudly for two years. Bill attended Youngstown University, earning his associate degree in engineering before settling into his career at Youngstown Steel Door.

He and his late wife of 59 years, Anne M. Griffiths (Yuhas), lived in Austintown until 1969. They then moved to raise their family in “the country,” settling into their forever home in Ellsworth.

In Ellsworth, Bill became a gentleman’s farmer. He tried his hand with a variety of farm animals: cows, pigs, a pony and chickens. He fed his family with the gardens he grew and fed his animals with his crops from the fields. Baling hay and picking corn became weekend activities that the whole family participated in.

Bill was a volunteer with the Ellsworth Fire Department for 20 years. He liked to golf and was part of a league for decades; one of his favorite sayings was “it never rains on the golf course.”

He loved football. He never missed a Buckeyes game, attended many Penguins home games and he had a love / hate relationship with the Cleveland Browns.

A huge history buff, Bill was a walking chronicle of the Civil War and visited Gettysburg with anyone who would go with him.

Bill enjoyed many outdoor activities: hunting pheasant with his trusty German shorthaired pointer, Trina, and deer hunting in the fall. He was an avid fisherman. Looking back, his children now realize all their family vacations were actually just fishing trips for their dad.

An outgoing social man with a wide social circle, he was full of stories. He had a slew of friends and extended family that he loved to visit. In his later years, Bill reconnected with some high school friends and met regularly with what we affectionately called his “Breakfast Club.” He was a chauffeur to ill family and friends, and a companion to those who found themselves suddenly alone.

Bill is the son of the late John D. and Anna L. Bode Griffiths. He was also preceded in death by his brother, James; and sister, Elizabeth Lear.

Bill leaves his children, Fredrick, Louise (Dan Tippett) and William Jr. (Michelle Griffiths); along with his grandchildren, Carmella, Vincent, Anna, Abigail, Tony, Mackenzie, Emma (Evan Lingrel), Samantha (Allen Thor), Chelsea (Michelle Griffin) and Amanda (Dan Webb).

Friends and family may call 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, May 4, 2023, at the Higgins-Reardon Funeral Home, 439 S. Salem-Warren Road (Route 45), North Jackson, followed by a service at 1 p.m. There will be an honor guard ceremony at Ellsworth Cemetery (off Route 224 in Ellsworth) following the service.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Dementia Society of America (www.dementiasociety.org/donate) or the Alzheimer’s Association (www.alz.org).