Vincent Howard

Vincent
Howard Griffin
RED HOOK- Vincent Howard Griffin passed away Saturday, Oct. 20, 2018, one week shy of his 92nd birthday. He passed at the Thompson House in Rhinebeck, N.Y., after a period of illness.
Also known as, "Jerry" throughout his life, Vincent grew up in Tivoli, N.Y., in the 1930s and 1940s in a large and spirited family of eight brothers and two sisters.
He was born on Oct. 27, 1926 and was the youngest of the ten children of Michael P. Griffin of Piermont, N.Y., and Helena Helgren Griffin, originally from Sweden. Vincent is predeceased by his seven brothers and two sisters.
Vincent and five of his brothers, Daniel, William, Churchill, James, and Michael all served with honor and distinction in different branches of the U.S. armed forces during World War II. His older brothers fought bravely in many of the major battles of the war in Europe, North Africa, and the Pacific Islands.
Shortly after graduating from Tivoli High School in 1944, Vincent enlisted and served in the U.S. Navy as an aerial gunner aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ranger. After his service, he went on to enroll at the Hudson Valley Technical School in Troy, New York and graduated in 1949.
Originally trained as a tool and die maker at IBM in Poughkeepsie, New York in the early 1950s, he went on to a long and successful career with IBM, eventually retiring as a Senior Contract Administrator in 1989.
Vincent was active in many civic organizations in the Red Hook area including the Lion's Club and the Red Hook Town recreation committee. He was also a lifelong member of the Red Hook Volunteer Fire Company and prior to his death was the oldest and longest serving member of the fire company.
A bit of a self-styled amateur farmer, Vincent was active in local 4-H events and presided over bountiful backyard vegetable gardens and a revolving menagerie through the 1970s and into the 1980s. Later in life, he patiently assisted his wife Marjorie with her glorious flower gardens.
Always practical and a lifelong tinkerer, Vincent was very inventive in applying his knowledge of carpentry, electrics, plumbing, and mechanics to a vast array of a projects and schemes, often to the puzzlement of his loving family. However, much more often than not, producing very useful results.
An avid golfer and downhill skier, he enjoyed skiing in the Catskills and the Swiss Alps during adventures with family and friends from the Rhinebeck and Red Hook area. Vincent was a longtime member of Red Hook Golf Club.
He is survived by his very caring and loving wife, Marjorie Hefferman Griffin of Red Hook-who he married on April 9, 1950 at St. Christopher's Church in Red Hook; a son, Scott Griffin of Rhinebeck; and a daughter, Elizabeth Crockett of Nevis.
He is predeceased by a son, Christopher Mark Griffin of Rhinebeck, who passed away in 2016, and a son-in-law, Paul Crockett of Rhinebeck, who passed away in 1989.
Vincent was a goodhearted man with a mischievous sense of humor that will be fondly remembered by his family, his many nieces and nephews, their families, and by cherished longtime friends in the Red Hook, Rhinebeck, and Tivoli area. He lived a good and full life.
Friends may call at the Burnett & White Funeral Homes on Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018, from 3 to 5 p.m.
Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018, at Burnett & White Funeral Homes, Red Hook, N.Y. Burial with military honors will be at Red Church Cemetery, Tivoli.
Memorial donations may be made in Jerry's memory to the Red Hook Fire Company, P.O. Box 100, Red Hook, N.Y., 12571.
Arrangements are under the direction of Burnett & White Funeral Homes 7461 S. Broadway, Red Hook, N.Y.
For directions, or to sign the online guest book, please visit www.Burnett-White.com.