Florence Griffin

Florence Rosic Griffin was born May 9, 1926 in Stamford, Connecticut to George Rosic and Frances Mahala Rosic who immigrated to the United States from Austria and Czechoslovakia in the early 1900s. She was the third youngest of 13 children. While in Connecticut, Florence worked several office jobs, but the one she enjoyed the most was as a telephone operator. She took pride in being able to remember all of the business phone numbers in the area she served! She, along with several of her brothers and sisters, lived at home in order to contribute to the family and running the household. This hard work and commitment to family was a cornerstone throughout Florence's life. In 1944, Florence met Edward Griffin at a bowling alley in Portland, Maine. Ed was stationed at the Naval Supply base there. They dated for a year and became engaged in 1945. They married on May 22, 1946, and celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in 2006, just prior to Ed's death. They had two children, Donna and Ed, Jr. Florence and Ed lived in Connecticut until 1956, when they moved to Denver, and bought a home in the Harvey Park area. She was a stay-at-home mother until 1968 when she attended the Emily Griffith Opportunity School to earn her GED and a certificate in data entry. She worked for Colorado state government until her retirement from the Colorado Department of Health in 1986. Florence was a member of Notre Dame Catholic Church from the day it celebrated its first mass. Florence enjoyed a wide variety of hobbies, including sewing, embroidery, making porcelain dolls, doing puzzles and playing cards, watching game shows and playing the accordion. She was also a very good artist, particularly at drawing cartoons and portraits, and was a champion bowler. Most of all she enjoyed her church and her family. Florence is survived by her daughter Donna (Earl DeGroot), son Edward (Helen), granddaughter Sara DeGroot (Nathan Mirabile), step-grandson Sam DeGroot (Jenny), step-granddaughters Jeanine Bahr (John) and Jackie McKenzie (John) and her many friends at Sunrise Cherry Creek Assisted Living Facility. She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents and all of her siblings. Funeral Service Thursday, 08/20/15, 10:30 AM, Horan & McConaty, 3101 S. Wadsworth Blvd., Lakewood, CO 80227. Interment, Fort Logan National Cemetery.