Richard Christopher Griffin was born on June 6th, 1957 in Tampa, FL. His parents were George Russell Griffin and Mary Griffin. Growing up the youngest of four, his sister, Patricia Revette, and his two older brothers, George Russell Jr. and John Griffin, all adored him. Rick grew up wide-eyed and curious about the world around him. He had a desire to learn everything that he could while keeping a fun-loving look on life. So, he studied and looked after his many nieces and nephews in his free time.
In 1976, he made the wise decision of joining The Navy, following in his older brothers’ footsteps. He eventually rose to the position of Petty Officer Second Class E5 in Navigation. He was known for being a technical expert and effective leader.
After his years in The Navy, he went back to school, and in 1986 he met a pretty nurse named Carolyn Smith. They fell for each other in a creative writing class. Carolyn was drawn to Rick’s brains and blue-eyes, while Rick was impressed by her caring nature. They got married in 1988.
In 1996, they adopted a daughter, Noelle Griffin, and in 2001, their first son, Ryan Griffin. Starting a family on the Bay was a dream come true. Rick would go home and build a tree house for Noelle and Ryan, paint a giant Little Mermaid mural on the poolside wall, and plant roses for Carolyn, or “C” as he called her. As a modern genius, he regularly spoke to his young children about string theory, quantum mechanics, and parallel universes.
When he got sick, he fought for his life and normalcy. He found refuge in the friendships he made at AA meetings and in the VA Hospital community. The last few years of his life were the most difficult, and though he fought harder than anyone expected him to, fate removed him from suffering on March 15th, 2019 surrounded by loved ones.
We won’t remember Rick in his days of being sick. We will remember him as the man who was always creating things just for the sake of creating them, the man who looked at planets through telescopes in the backyard, the man who bought way too many Barbie dolls for his daughter, the man who was proud to have served in The Navy, the man who was insane, and brilliant, and shined like a star in the night sky. We’ll remember him blasting Pink Floyd, The Alan Parsons Project, and the occasional Pussycat Dolls song.
Rick always dreamed of becoming an astronaut, now he's free to travel through heavenly bodies.
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