Garth Griffin died at home on Monday, Jan. 27, 2020. He was 66 years old. Here is Julie Lane’s story from last January on his life and legacy.
It was mere hours after Garth Griffin’s untimely death that word reached many Islanders who were shocked that a man they had known and loved was gone.
He was hired as Shelter Island Recreation Director in May 1981 and held the post until his retirement in the summer of 2017.
Perhaps Jay Card Jr. captured it best at Mr. Griffin’s funeral Saturday afternoon saying, “I just didn’t know our days were numbered.”
Naming men who have made him a better man, Mr. Card noted several have already passed on. “I regret that I never had the presence of mind to thank them for their love and friendship when I had the chance . . . especially G,” he said. “I believe in my heart that he knows it now. Garth wove himself into this community like a bright red thread in a giant tapestry.”