Donald Eugene Griffith's Obituary
The Lord called Don home August 5, 2015 at the age of 90 in the presence of his son Steve Griffith, his wife, Janet, and close family friend, Ami Thomason. Don was born on July 26, 1925 in Winfield, Kansas along with his twin sister Dorothy. He was one of four children of Ralph Israel and Laura Irena Griffith. Don grew up in Winfield, Kansas, graduated from Winfield High School in May 1943, then enlisted in the Army Air Corp as an Aviation Cadet. He attended the Army Air Corp College Training Detachment at Beloit College, Beloit, Wisconsin. Following extensive training, he was commissioned a Flight Officer, received his 2nd Lieutenant rank in June 1945 and placed on active duty. Most of his training was done on Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress aircraft. In December, 1945 he was honorably discharged and then entered the Army Air Corp Reserves. Don returned to Winfield, Kansas to attend St. John’s Junior College where he met Rosemary Belcher, a student nurse who was attending St. Mary’s Hospital School of Nursing. Following her graduation, they married on July 27, 1946, and then moved to Denver, Colorado where Don continued his education and obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Denver in December 1949. Upon graduation they moved to Tulsa where Don worked for Standard Oil of Indiana. In 1951 he went to work for the Dowell Division of Dow Chemical. Shortly after that, he was placed on active military status during the Korean War. One month later he was promoted to 1st Lieutenant then returned to United States Air Force reserve duty while working at Dow. With 32 years of service at Dow, Don held key positions in the Dowell Division, the International Group (Seoul, South Korea), Corporate Headquarters, and the Health and Consumer Products Division. Upon retirement Don and Rosemary moved to Broken Arrow, Ok. They were long time Church of Christ members in Tulsa, as well as wherever they lived. They have enjoyed extensive international travel, lake living, and were long time volunteers for St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa. Don was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Elmer, his sister Etha Harding, his younger son, Doug, and his wife Rosemary. Don is survived by his oldest son Steve Griffith and wife Janet of Broken Arrow, granddaughters Amy McHugh and husband Rhett of Bixby, Ok, Becky Schulke and husband Christian of Temple, Tx. Great grandchildren Collin and Cameron McHugh, Lily and Levi Schulke, and his twin sister, Dorothy Cleverdon of Nacogdoches, Texas, several nieces and nephews, and two special friends that Don and Rosemary thought of as a part of the family Ami Thomason and Jin Soon Chung. Floral Haven is coordinating the services. The funeral service is Monday, August 17 at 10:00 AM at the Church of Christ, 2901 South Yale, Tulsa, Ok. Graveside services will be conducted at the Highland Cemetery in Winfield, Kansas.
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