James Griffin

Loving and devoted father to James and his wife Kathleen, Thomas and his wife Dawn, and Stephen and his wife Doreen. Deeply engaged and wonderful Pa to his grandchildren, Catherine, Elizabeth, Benjamin, Anne, James (Jack), Erin, and Mary Claire. Jim also is survived by his sister, Joan Griffin, his sisters and brothers-in-law Kathleen Madaus, Sarah Jane and her husband Robert Carney, and James King and his wife Valerie, and many nieces and nephews.

Jim was predeceased by his sister, Catherine and her husband John Maloney, and his sisters and brothers-in-law Thomas King and his wife Phyllis, Agnes and her husband William Doyle, Gerald Madaus, Phyllis and her husband Hugh Dykas, Elizabeth and her husband Gerard Miller (his childhood friend), and Ann Marie and her husband Arnold Robertson.

Jim was born in Dorchester, the son of Catherine (O’Rourke) and James Griffin, and grew up in St. Matthew’s Parish among his extended and close-knit O’Rourke family. He spent time under the watchful eye and guidance of the Sisters of St. Joseph, graduating from St. Matthew’s School and Cathedral High School. Over the years, he attended various local college programs to advance his education. Jim loved growing up in Dotchesta, as he always called it, and stayed in very close touch with the life-long, loyal, and caring friends he made in the 30s, 40s, and 50s. He especially enjoyed his monthly luncheon where for more than 20 years he gathered with his pals to swap stories and enjoy each other’s company.

Jim had a long career in construction project management, spending most of that at the MBTA, where he oversaw the building and renovation of many large transportation projects, retiring in 1996.

Jim’s passions were his family, sports – especially youth sports, and his grass. He loved being a dad to his three boys – and later father-in-law to his daughters-in-law, Pa to his seven grandchildren, and husband to Mary, whom he dutifully cared for over many years. He thoroughly enjoyed coaching and watching his sons and grandchildren play a wide range of sports and was a familiar presence at all his sons’ and grandchildren’s games. He especially enjoyed trying to learn the rules of field hockey from his granddaughters and spending time in the dugout with Ben’s youth baseball teams, where he was universally known as Pa. He was a founder of the Scituate Little League and in the 1970s head of the Seahawks youth hockey program.

He was passionate about local college football, and each of Boston’s pro sports teams, especially the Red Sox, who apparently missed out on hiring him as their manager given all the advice he had for them over the years. As a city kid, he loved living in Scituate, where he and Mary resided for 50 years and made many wonderful friends and had terrific caring neighbors. He relished the yard he had in Scituate and spent countless hours tending to his lawn, his pride and joy outside his family. Most recently he and Mary had made their home at Proprietors Green where they received love, support, and excellent care.

Visiting hours Wednesday, November 16 from 3-7 p.m., at the Richardson Gaffey Funeral Home, 382 First Parish Road, Scituate. Funeral Mass Thursday, November 17 at 11 a.m., at Mary of the Nativity Church, 1 Kent Street, Scituate. Burial at St. Mary’s Cemetery.

Donations in Jim’s name may be made to Cathedral High School (cathedralhighschool.net) or St. Francis House (stfrancishouse.org).