Noel H. Griffin's Obituary
Noel H. Griffin
Major US Army (Ret)
Feb. 23, 1918 - Nov. 28, 2009
Passed away on November 28, 2009 at The Affordable Oakbrook Adult Family Home, Lakewood, WA. Born in Omaha, Nebraska on February 23, 1918 to Francis (Frank) & Frances Griffin, he came to Seattle in 1920 with his mother & grandparents Fred & Viola Diers. He leaves behind three children: sons Robin Griffin, Douglas Griffin and his wife DeAnna, daughter Dawn (Griffin) Shipe and her husband George. He also leaves behind four grandchildren and one great grand child. He is also survived by his sister, Donna Sowler. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of almost 56 years, Irene. He served in the US Army for from 1936 to 1959 retiring as a Major. He saw service in the SW Pacific, Philippines and as Adjutant for the prisoners in the Pacific War Crimes trials. Later he served at the, The Pentagon and University of Washington Army ROTC and as Adjutant of the US Army Personnel Center. After he retired from the military he became a personnel analyst with the State of Washington Personnel Office and later appointed as personnel officer for the Washington State Department of Employment Security in Olympia, WA. Later he worked for State of Washington Department of Natural Resources & Department of Transportation as the personnel officer, finally retiring in 1978. He was an avid golfer and a member of the Ft. Lewis Golf Course. Noel and Irene moved to Paso Robles, California in 1983 and returned to Washington State in 1991 to be closer to their children. Memberships include: Military Officers Assoc. of America, Scottish Rite and Afifi Shiners Temple of Tacoma. Memorial service was held at Tahoma National Cemetery, December 7, 2009. Donations may be made to The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA or The American Cancer Society in his memory.
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