Kenneth E. “Sonny” Griffith Jr., 72, of Turner Hill Road, Duxbury, passed away in the comfort of his family at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center on Saturday, May 21, 2011. Born in Duxbury on August 16, 1938, he was the son of the late Kenneth E. Griffith Sr. and Lillian E. (Harvey) Griffith. On June 8, 1957, he married the former Dorothy A. Porter in Littleton, CO.
Sonny attended schools in Duxbury and was a 1956 graduate of Waterbury High School. Joining the Vermont Air National Guard, he went to basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, TX, and then went to Lowry Air Force Base for additional schooling on Jet Radar Systems. From April 1958 until April 1973, Sonny worked full time for the Vermont Air National Guard as a technician and then went on to work for Waitsfield Telecom, retiring in May 1989. In addition, Sonny retired from the Vermont Air National Guard at the rank of master sergeant following 27 years of service.
His memberships included Winooski Lodge #49 F&AM, the Wesley United Methodist Church and the Harry N. Cutting American Legion Post #59, all of Waterbury. In his leisure time he enjoyed hunting, fishing, bowling, golf and playing cards.
Sonny is survived by his wife of 53 years, Dorothy A. Griffith of Duxbury; their children, Kenneth E. Griffith III and his wife Annette of Duxbury, Scott A. Griffith and his wife Ronda of Trinity, NC, Todd P. Griffith and his wife Misty of Duxbury, Craig A. Griffith and his wife Bette-Jean of Duxbury, Darryl Q. Griffith and his wife Lori of Plainfield; his grandchildren, Kenneth E. Griffith IV and his partner Ashley Atwood, Kasey E. Griffith and her partner Josh Lemery, Timmy P. Griffith, Meesha S. Griffith and her partner Charles O’Brien Jr., Alexander S. Griffith and his partner Bailey King, Tanner A.C.B. Griffith, Justin E. Griffith and Eirnin M. Griffith; his great-grandchildren, Jackson C. Palermo, Kenneth E. Griffith V, Olivia Griffith and Owen Griffith; his sisters, Ramona Byers and her husband Fred of Nokesville, VA, Lorna Grimes and her husband Gary of Ocala, FL, and Penny Williams of Fort Mill, SC; a brother, Rodney Griffith and his wife Sandy of Severn, MD; as well as nieces, nephews and extended family. He was predeceased by a grandson, Todd P. Griffith II.
Funeral services will be held from the Wesley United Methodist Church in Waterbury on Thursday, May 26, 2011, at 11 a.m. with a reception to follow in the church dining room. Friends called at the Wesley United Methodist Church on Wednesday from 7 to 9 p.m.
Interment will take place in the South Duxbury Cemetery. The family requests that flowers be omitted; rather memorial gifts would be appreciated to Central Vermont Home Health and Hospice, 600 Granger Road, Barre, VT 05641 (www.cvhhh.org), or to the Wesley United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 214, Waterbury, VT 05676. Assisting the family is the Perkins-Parker Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Waterbury. To send online condolences, please visit www.perkinsparker.com and Facebook.
