John Griffioen Jr.

One of my earliest memories of John is from the day of my brother Phil's wedding to Lisa. Our brothers had conspired that day to corner Phil at the reception with a prank that later became a brotherly tradition at successive weddings -- padlocking the leg of the groom to a sturdy chain attached to a bowling ball. The prank required first that we gang up to capture the unwitting groom. Phil was always quick on his feet, so it took all of us -- including Lisa's brothers John and Dave, I recall -- to chase Phil down a long hallway at the end of which stood the imposing figure of John Sr.

At first, John expressed a bewildered look at the impending kerfuffle, which quickly changed to a look of concern as he took a commanding step forward to protect his new son-in-law. That ominous step forward stopped all of us in our tracks as he called out, "Come over here , Phil." Phil cast us a smile of smug satisfaction over his shoulder at us as he walked over to the protective presence of his new father-in-law.

My memory recalls that at about that moment, John's expression changed ever so slightly. Perhaps it was noticing his sons John and Dave in the crush of young men, or maybe it was the ball and chain hanging at-the-ready. But in the next moment, John put his arm around Phil's shoulders, looked at us, and gently said something to the effect, "Here you go, boys!" as a smile crept across his face and he stepped aside to assume a watchful stance in case things got out-of-hand.

As for brother Phil, I am hard pressed to recall any time he beamed a wider smile on his face.

That memory is how I will remember John -- always waiting nearby, always watchful and protective of family, always at-the-ready with a good sense of humor, and always willing to join in the fun.

Thanks for the memory, John. It was good to be with you.

Paul Van Harn