Clifford James Griffith

1930 - 2011

Clifford James Griffith, 80, of Nampa, passed away at home on Sunday, April 17, 2011, after a lengthy illness.
Cliff was born on Dec. 21, 1930, in Lansing, Mich., to Clifford and Caroline (Hammond) Griffith. He spent his childhood days growing up on a farm in nearby Dimondale. He went to a one room school for the first eight grades and then went on to graduate from Dimondale High School.
Cliff was a true genius and entered Michigan State University at the age of 16. He graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering in 1950. Shortly thereafter, he moved to Detroit.
One day he spotted a beautiful blonde-haired young woman named Clarice Arlene Torikka, who was walking down the street on her way to work. He stopped and asked if she would like a ride, which she accepted. The next day he called and invited her to attend a football game as his date. While there, Cliff proceeded to tell Clarice that she was the girl he intended to marry. His dream came true and Cliff and Clarice were married on Sept. 11, 1952, in Laurium, Mich. Their marriage was later solemnized in the Oakland California temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Cliff was an engineer extraordinaire who could design just about anything.
His career spanned nearly five decades of working for some of the most well-known companies in America. He was especially proud of a line of farm machinery he designed for International Harvester and of the bendable Barbie doll legs, which he designed for Mattel Toys. He held several patents for inventions which he created in his spare time.
Cliff enjoyed fly fishing, hunting and traveling. He was an avid reader who loved books about history, especially ones about the founding fathers of our nation. He was a very patriotic man. Cliff was an excellent photographer, who left a lifetime legacy of photos for his family to enjoy. He was an accomplished banjo player, a computer wizard, and a man who enjoyed writing poetry. Cliff was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and had a love for the work done in the temples.
He is survived by his beloved wife of 59 years, Clarice, and his four children: Suzanne (Reese) Leavitt of Melba, John Griffith of South Carolina, Kathleen (Roman) Montague of California, and Jim (Becky) Griffith of Mississippi. He has 14 grandchildren whom he adored: Hollie, Kristina, Alisa, Derek, Nichole, Kailee, Weston, Kara, Roman, Avonlea, Cimmaron, Lauren, Justin, and Shelby, and two special great-grandsons, Jaden and Sawyer.
Cliff is also survived by two sisters: Doris (Al) Taylor and Norma Fredline of Michigan, and a sister-in-law, Nancy Adler of California.
Our family would like to give thanks to Bobbie Thomas of Treasure Valley Hospice and the firemen of Station 2 in Nampa for their kind service to Dad during the last stages of his life.
Cremation is under the direction of Zeyer Funeral Chapel, 83 N. Midland Blvd., Nampa, Ida. A private family internment will be held at a later date.