William Griffin

1945 - 2022

William Griffin
November 18, 2022
William Boyd Griffin, 77, of New Haven, Connecticut, passed away unexpectedly on Friday, November 18, 2022, due to cardiac arrest.
Boyd was born on April 11, 1945, to Gladys Burns Scott Griffin and Nathan Roscoe Griffin, in Mobile, Alabama. He graduated from the University of Alabama in 1968 and from there he moved to New York City where he served as National Committee Vice President for AIESEC (AIESEC is a French acronym for The International Association of Students in Economics and Management). After finishing his term as National VP, Boyd went on to become International Secretary General for the organization from 1969-1970, serving his post abroad in Geneva and Rotterdam. After completion of this term, Boyd returned to the U.S. and worked for Mobile Oil before attending Harvard Business School, where he received an MBA in 1973. He spent most of his career in publishing, working for the Hearst Corporation which he left as President of Retirement Advisors, Inc. in 1999. He then finished out his professional time as President of Boyd Griffin & Company LLC before retiring, together with his wife, Julianne Jakstas Griffin.
Boyd met Julianne in Cambridge, MA, while attending Harvard, in 1972. The couple were married February 12, 1977 and they went on to have two children, daughter Emily Grace and son, Scott Jakstas.
Boyd was a man of compassion and integrity who lived to give. He cherished his family, his many friendships, and delighted in forging new connections; he understood the blessing that it is to love and be loved, and was defined by the depth of his relationships. He was a sophisticated, cultured man who filled his life with music, knowledge and laughter. He was a storyteller who loved to share a good joke, had an irreverent sense of humor, and was known to laugh until he cried. He took great pleasure in tending to his garden and loved to travel. He was a devoted Yankees and Alabama football fan, and if he could enjoy Miles Davis, a cocktail and candlelight in the evening, together with those he loved, he was a happy man. He left behind a wonderful legacy and will be sorely missed.
Boyd is survived by his wife, his children, his daughter-in-law, Emma Graham Griffin, and his 8 grandchildren, Christopher, Janie, Charlie, May, and Gracie Ryckman of Hanover, NH, and Thomas, June, and Adelaide Griffin of Fairfield, CT; his brothers John Scott (Faye) and Paul David (Kathy), and his nieces, Anne Wilson, Kathryn Thomas, Burns Lewis and Lauren Griffin.
The family will hold a private burial, and a memorial service and celebration of his life is planned for the springtime of 2023. Arrangements are with the Hawley Lincoln Memorial, 424 Elm St. New Haven.