Elisa Griffith

GRIFFITH, Elisa "Ely" (Villanueva) Elisa Villanueva Griffith died unexpectedly Monday after heart surgery. She was born in Barotac Nuevo, Iloilo, Philippines on July 10, 1937. She had degrees from the Universi- ties of the Philippines, Tennessee and Hawaii. She studied for a PhD in Education at the U of Montana. She was an extension agent at UP-Los Banos, a professor at Mindanao State U, an educational consultant and a homemaker. In 1972, she married Douglas Griffith. They lived in Missoula, MT, until 1981, when she and her husband moved to Saudi Arabia. They lived there for eight years, and annually traveled around the world, visiting both Asian and European countries. They have been at Mukogawa Fort Wright Institute in Spokane for the past 20 years and have hosted many Japanese students here. She could often be found in her garden or in her kitchen making a cake, a batch of jam or a special dish for dinner. She tatted, crocheted and sewed. She had many collections especially of dishes, tablecloths and Japanese dolls. She was married to Doug for 35 years. He survives her as do her sisters Isabel Villanueva, Victoria Silva and Evelina Batislaong, her brother Carlos Villanueva, Avis and Toby Stapleton, Lynn and GK Griffith, and Gordon and Nic Griffith, as well as many nephews, nieces, and cousins in the US and the Philippines, and innumerable friends around the world. She touched everyone that she met. A celebration of her life will be held at the Commons, MFWI at 2 pm, Friday, December 18.