On January 2nd, 2021, at the age of 60, George passed away peacefully at his home in Burbank, CA, after a short illness brought on by aggressive brain cancer. The disease progressed rapidly, despite treatment, from his diagnosis in November, but he experienced little pain. He was able to spend his final days at home peacefully and surrounded by his family. He will be missed by his wife Anne, his son Ryan, his daughter Clare, his sister Priscilla and her husband Jim, his sister-in-law Shirley, his nephews, Glenn, Winston and Craig, his nieces, Kelly and Suzy, and his extended family here and in Ireland. George was predeceased by his brother Ken and his parents Evelyn and Glenn.
His life was defined by his love of his family and his passion for travel. His parents encouraged him to look beyond local borders and took him on his first of many trips abroad at a young age. Being George, there were a few lost passports and a couple of missing wallets over the many years and millions of miles of travel, which never phased him and his sense of adventure! Always an adventurer, at 18, he took his elderly, blind father up the mountains in Manila on the back of a moped! George never shied from any opportunity, and like his parents, he gave his own children the gift of travel, sharing many great trips with them as well, from safaris in Kenya with Clare and time in Bejing with Ryan.
He adored his kids and was very involved in their many activities. Always young at heart, he thoroughly enjoyed volunteering at their schools, from the "crazy hat guy" reading program at elementary school to over six years supporting their respective high school water polo teams and many other team sports and activities along the way. He was incredibly proud of Ryan and Clare and their achievements in college and beyond. He relished every moment he had with them.
His long aviation career started at Continental Airlines, and he spoke fondly of his many travels with the company. He spent the last 25 years at Boeing as an engineer, where he was able to travel the world to places as remote as Mongolia and all over the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and Asia, often with his family able to tag along. He visited every continent, except for Antarctica, which he joked about, and too many countries to mention, always enjoying fun excursions and adventures on both business and personal trips. A recent quote discovered from Mohammed suits him well: “Don’t tell me how educated you are, tell me how much you’ve traveled.”
George was known to love talking for hours, from sitting and engaging with his children’s friends to the many people he encountered worldwide. He loved telling stories and engaging in the life stories of others. He would always be the last one to leave the room or the party and always remained young at heart. He especially enjoyed speaking with people from different cultures, often immersing himself in the traditions and religions of the countries he visited. He was fascinated by the diversity he was privileged to experience, and his firsthand interactions taught him that no matter how different we all may seem, at heart, we are all one people. He made many lifelong friends around the world along the way, on top of his wide circle of friends and co-workers at home, for which he was extremely grateful.
George was also famous for his big heart and his generosity of time and spirit. He would drive you to the airport, help you move, climb on your roof in the rain, help you with your car, and wake at any hour to help his kids.
Through Boeing, George was introduced to the Orbis “Flying Eye Hospital.” It was the perfect partnership for him, allowing him to focus his aviation skills, love of travel, and the personal experience of his father’s eye disease into volunteer work. Orbis is an international non-profit that brings people together to 'fight for sight' for those without access to treatment otherwise. In his honor, in lieu of flowers, we have created a memorial fund for Orbis to aid in their prevention and treatment of preventable blindness around the world.
When our world opens up again, we will have a memorial in celebration of his life. For now, we will leave you with this quote "There will come a day, I promise you, when the thought of him brings a smile to your lips before it brings a tear to your eye."
**CLICK HERE to Donate to Orbis In Memory of George Griffin (orbis.org)**
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