Calvin Howard Griffin

Cal, as he was known by family and friends, was born in Huntington, West Virginia to Charles H. Griffin and Laura Chambers Griffin. He grew up in Clarksburg, West Virginia with his older siblings Mary Alice, John, and Bill. He was an Eagle Scout and graduated from West Virginia University in 1953, where he was a member of Delta Tau Delta fraternity and the US Air Force ROTC.

After graduation, he received a commission in the Air Force and served at Pinecastle Air Force Base in Orlando until 1955, when he was accepted to the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. After earning his MBA at Wharton, he accepted a position with IBM in Orlando, and worked there as a systems engineer until his retirement in 1992. He played an important role in the installation and maintenance of mainframe computers, including the groundbreaking scalable 360 model, for several important clients in central Florida, including NASA, Martin Marietta, Darden Restaurants and Orange County Public Schools.

He met his wife Lucy in Orlando in 1962, and they were married in 1966. He loved her very much, and they spent time together enjoying classical music, the theater, and her cooking.

In 1971 his twin sons James and John were born, and they brought much joy to him and Lucy. He taught them to swim and ride bicycles, and passed along his loves of reading, history and political thought, animals, the mountains of West Virginia, and the beach.

After his retirement, he volunteered at the Adult Literacy League and in 2001, became a grandfather, which he said was "more emotionally rewarding than he could imagine." He enjoyed many weekend getaways with Lucy, John, Jo Donn and Jack. Those who knew him noted that he always believed in treating others with consideration and compassion.

He is survived by Lucy, his wife of 46 years, his son James, his son John, his daughter-in-law Jo Donn, his grandsons Jack and James, and many nieces and nephews.

He will be greatly missed by his family and all who knew him.

Arrangements under the direction of Colonial Chapel/Carey Hand, Orlando, FL. 407 898-2561.