Services
Obituary
Joyce Griffith, 97, daughter of Beulah and Stanley Anderson, passed away on June 26, 2023, at the Rehabilitation Center of Belmond.
Memorial services will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday, July 1, 2023 at Clarion United Presbyterian Church, 219 First Street North West in Clarion, Rev. Tamara EnTin will officiate Burial will be in Evergreen Cemetery in Clarion.
Visitation will be held one hour prior to services at the church on Saturday.
Joyce was born on January 10, 1926, at the home of her grandparents, David and Ella Lester of Clarion. She was educated in the Grant Township Rural Schools and graduated from Clarion High School in 1943.
Following graduation, Joyce attended Iowa State Teachers College. She married John W. Griffith in 1946 and began her teaching career at the Goldfield School District, where she taught first and second grade. While raising four children, Joyce continued her own education at Drake University and subsequently taught third grade in the Clarion Community School District for more than 25 years, from 1964 - 1990. She took special pride in seeing the continued successes of former students, whom she credited with teaching her just how rewarding the profession can be.
A lifelong resident of Wright County, Joyce belonged to the United Presbyterian Church in Clarion and was a member of Adah Chapter Order of Eastern Star, from which she earned her 50-year membership in June 1995.
Joyce spent much of her free time with family and friends in the Clarion area and at Lake Okoboji over the summers. Her favorite hobbies included playing cards and board games – she rarely lost at Rummikub – cross-stitching, listening to music and audiobooks, and playing the piano.
Joyce is survived by her four children – Nancy Whitman, Hot Springs, Ark.; Dan (Karen) Griffith, Iowa City, Iowa; Jaynece (Pat) Tekippe, Fort Atkinson, Iowa; and Carol (Greg) Chapman, Clarion, Iowa – as well as eight grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren and three great-great grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents; son-in-law Michael H. Whitman; and two grandchildren, Michael and Mark Whitman.