Thomas Griffiths

On May 3rd , 2019, a beloved father, grandfather, uncle and friend passed through the veil to meet his eternal sweetheart on the third anniversary of her death; Thomas Alan Griffiths, age 78, passed away in his home in Grantsville, Utah. Thomas (“Tom” or “Tommy”) was born on July 27th , 1940, to Thomas S. and Naomi Johnson Griffiths in Logan, Utah, growing up in the “Island” area. He attended Utah State University, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry. Tom served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Germany in 1963, obtaining a deferment from the Vietnam draft until he returned home in 1965. Instead of being assigned to the front lines of the war, as originally planned by the Army, at the last minute he was appointed to work as a chemist at Dugway Proving Grounds. In 1967, he was discharged from the Army and continued to work in Dugway as a civilian for the next 25 years, where he received several awards for his technical accomplishments. After he retired from Dugway, Tom worked at the Tooele Army Depot in the Battelle division.

On June 14th , 1968, he married “the girl next door”, his childhood neighbor, Eloise Watts, in the Logan, Utah temple. They lived in Dugway until 1976, when they bought a home in Grantsville. Tom and Eloise had three amazingly gifted, talented and intelligent children: John Alan (1974), Greta (1977) and Nathan (1985) who will always be very grateful to their parents, who continually worked and sacrificed in their behalf.

Tom served as Ward Clerk, and later as Stake Clerk, for many years. Tom loved to run in 5k and 10k races, even into his 70’s, placing in the top 10 numerous times. His true love, however, was his bicycle. He rode it nearly every day for 10 miles or more, up until the time of his death. He was an avid gardener and spent thousands of hours (many of those with Eloise) in his yard, always giving vegetables away to friends and family members. Tom loved classical music and the fine arts. In his free time, he would watch concert pianists or orchestras on television, or a much-loved bluegrass band. “Listen to this..” he would say, as he greatly enjoyed sharing his favorite performances with others.

Tom was a true friend to animals. He never turned away a stray cat and found places for mother cats to safely care for their babies. He had three housecats that he dearly loved. He often had animals following him around the yard as he worked. He always made friends with whatever animal came around including cats, chickens, peahens, peacocks, dogs and more. He will be truly missed by his animal companions. Tom is survived by his children, their spouses, his adoring grandchildren, and many great friends, neighbors and family members. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, Eloise, and his brother, John.

An open house memorial will be held at the Griffiths’ home, 482 E Main in Grantsville, on Saturday, May 18th from 4-6 p.m. Please join us! Open sharing will be from 5-6 p.m. and refreshments will be served.