Rilla Geraldine Casey Griffin passed away on May 22, 2024. She was born on November 11, 1934, in Los Angeles, California, the only child of Thomas and Bonnie Casey. She loved horses, and rode her favorite horse, Trigger, in three Rose Parades.
Rilla graduated from John Muir High School in 1952, then attended Stevens College in Columbia, Missouri, for one year. She graduated from the University of Southern California in 1956 with a bachelor’s degree in education. While she was at USC, she was a member of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority, giving her a lifetime of good friends.
Rilla’s teaching career spanned over 40 years, during which time she earned a master’s degree in education from California State University, Fullerton. She substituted for the last 20 years of her career for Saddleback Valley Unified School District, accepting a variety of different teaching assignments. After retiring, she became an avid traveler, visiting multiple locations on six different continents.
She was a member of the South Orange County Chapter of Gamma Phi Beta Alumnae, Trojan Guild of Orange County, and a member of the Coto de Caza committee of the Orange County Philharmonic Society.
She leaves her only child, son John, her daughter-in-law Janis, and her grandchildren, James and Jeni.
