Alice J Griffin 1913-2002

GRIFFIN KROFTA

Posted By: Connie Swearingen (email)
Date: 1/19/2010 at 18:17:25

Sioux City Journal
12 December 2002

Mapleton, Iowa--Alice Griffin, 89, of Lincoln, Nebr. formely of Mapleton, died Monday, Dec. 9, 2002, in Lincoln.

Services will be 2 p.m. today at St John's United Methodist Church in Mapleton, with the Rev. Fred Pilecki officiating. Burial will be in Mount Hope Cemetery. Arrangements are under the direction of Butherus, Maser and Love Funeral Home in Lincoln.

Mrs. Griffin was a member of the P.E.O., St. John's United Methodist Church, Order of the Eastern Star, Legislature Auxiliary and the Iowa Pharmacy Auxiliary. She was a home-maker.

Survivors include a daughter and her husband, Patricia and Fred Ress of Omaha; three grandchildren, Wendy Dutton and her boyfriend, Michael Pearson of Lincoln, Cindy Ress of Wahoo, Nebr., and Eric Ress of Omaha and two nieces.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Charles; a son, Chuckie; a great grandson and her sisters and brothers.

Memorials in her name may be directed to the charity of the donors choice.
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Mapleton Press
19 December 2002

Alice J. Griffin, age 89, of Lincoln, Nebraska, and formerly of Mapleton passed away Monday afternoon, December 9, following a short illness.

Services were held 2:00 p.m. Thursday, December 12, at St. John’s United Methodist Church, in Mapleton with Pastor Fred Pilecki officiating.

Burial was in Mount Hope Cemetery, Mapleton. Visitation was from 1:00 to 9:00 p.m., Wednesday at Butherus, Maser and Love Funeral Home in Lincoln and also Thursday from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. at St. John’s Methodist Church.

Alice was born on February 28, 1913. She was the youngest of the six children of Joseph and Anna Krofta of Iowa City, Iowa. Her father ran a butcher shop and her mother was a long time employee of the University. An uncle, Chic Forwald, was athletic director of City High School for nearly half a century. After graduating from University High School, Alice attended the University of Iowa for three years studying speech and social work. As a student she won honors on the debating team for the subject “women’s rights in politics” and she also worked at the Old Child Welfare Station. She was also employed part-time at Montgomery Wards and was a receptionist at a law firm.

Alice married Charles F. Griffin after his graduation from pharmacy school in June of 1934 and did not return to college. Charlie worked for several drug stores and chain stores in eastern Iowa and Illinois. In 1936 their son Chuck was born. While Charlie was managing a Ford Hopkins store in Marshalltown, Iowa, his father suffered a near-fatal heart attack and he and Alice and Chuck returned to Mapleton in 1942. In 1945 a daughter, Patricia, joined the family. Following his father’s death in 1947, Charlie took over the family business which he operated until he retired in 1980 when he sold it to Ed Maier.

Alice was very active in the Mapleton Community. She was a member of PEO for 50 years and held offices in that organization as well as in Eastern Star. For many years she was also chairman of the bazaar at St John’s Methodist Church. During Charlie’s tenure on the Iowa Pharmacy Board and in the Iowa Legislature, Alice supported him by entertaining his colleagues and their wives and through activities sponsored by the Legislative Ladies League. In 1992 Alice and Charlie moved to Omaha to be nearer to their daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Alice was preceded in death by her parents, her son, her siblings, her husband and one great-grandson.

Those left to cherish her memory include daughter and son-in-law, Patricia and Fred Ress of Omaha, Nebraska; granddaughter, Wendy Dutton and Mike Pearson and Ami, D.J., Cordero, Gabrielle and Denzel, granddaughter, Cindy Ress of Wahoo, Nebraska; grandson, Eric Christopher Ress and Alexis Wilder of Omaha; a niece Mary Ann Garcia of Shippenville, Pennsylvania; a niece Phyllis Mattei and her husband, Al of Wheatridge, Colorado; a grand-nephew Dr. Joseph Garcia of Washington, D.C. and his wife, Dr. Sue Garcia; grand-niece, Carmen Garcia Horner and her husband, Dr. Robert Horner of Oil City, Pennsylvania; grand-nephew, Anthony Mattei of Colorado Springs, Colorado; grand-nephew, Gregory Mattei and his wife, Kim of Wheatridge, Colorado; in addition to her five great-grandchildren, Alice also had five great-grand nieces and three great-grand-nephews. Alice’s favorite aunt while growing up in Iowa City was her aunt Annie Cerny. Annie’s children and family members remained close to Alice and Charlie through the years. These included Alice’s cousin, Josephine Cerny of Iowa City, Iowa, her niece, Chris and her husband, Dr. John Waymeier of Kakomo, Indiana and Dr. Phillip Cerny who is a political science professor in Manchester, England and frequently takes sabbaticals at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire.

Memorials may be given to the donor’s choice “In Memory of Alice Griffin”