Ann P. Griffith

Ann was born on September 25,1926 in the small town of Samaria, Idaho to John and Ruth Price. Ann was the eleventh of thirteen children. She grew up on a farm with her siblings. They lived modestly as farmers in a 2 bedroom home with no indoor plumbing. They were a hardworking and dedicated family.

Ann had a lot of fun growing up within a large family. Due to the range in ages of siblings, the 2 bedroom home was able to accommodate the family. When Ann was growing up, the older siblings had already moved out and started living independent lives. Ann's mother was described as a very kind person and well loved by all. Her Father was a very hard worker and soft spoken. Ann remembered her parents never arguing while growing up.

Towards the end of World War II and after completing high school, Ann left Samaria, Idaho and moved to San Leandro, California to live with her sister, Mary, while Mary's husband was away in the service.

Ann worked as a secretary in the Army Ordnance. She attended Armstrong College and graduated as a stenographer and secretary. She lived in an all-girls home with 200 women. She enjoyed the single life, dating, dancing and having fun with her girlfriends. She worked as a secretary at Kaiser Aluminum and had the opportunity to model for them, advertising new cars.

Ann met her future husband, Royce, at a dance. On their first date, Royce took Ann on a road trip and went swimming to test the waters. He wanted to see how she did with traveling and how she looked in a swimsuit. Within a short period of time dating, Royce asked Ann to marry him while on a peak in San Francisco. Ann was having so much fun dating, she wasn't ready to settle down and get married. Royce continued to pursue Ann. They eventually got married on April 21, 1950 when Ann was 23 and Royce was 28. They were married in Berkeley, California in The Chapel of Flowers. A handful of family and friends attended the small wedding. Ann looked beautiful on her wedding day and wore an elegant suit. Before her wedding with Royce, they were dressed in a traditional tux and a wedding dress and photographed for Look Magazine.

They started their lives together in Oakland then moved to Glendora, California where all four children were born- Terence, Karen, Patrick and Kimberly. From there, they moved their young family to Newport Beach, California where they lived for 7 years, close to the ocean. Ann enjoyed golfing and bowling with her girlfriends. Ann and Royce owned a power boat, which along with four kids, kept them very busy.

Their next move was to the new town of Mission Viejo, California where they moved into a brand new home. Ann kept busy, working as a Hospitality Hostess; she welcomed new families to the neighborhood. Ann was very charming and was only turned away one time in six years. After working as a Hospitality Hostess, she started selling gold jewelry with a friend, visiting the Los Angeles Jewelry Mart for purchases. She also worked in sales for a printing business. Later, she started a successful printing business herself. Eventually, she retired, giving all of her clients to her friend who took over the business entirely. The business is still a profitable printing company today.

After the children grew up, Royce and Ann moved to the desert. They lived part of the time in Indian Wells Country Club in Indio and part of the time in an ocean front condo in Pacific Beach, California. They had the best of both worlds. Eventually, they moved to La Jolla. Their last home was in Point Loma, California where Ann lived for 25 years. Both Ann and Royce enjoyed the harbor and downtown San Diego view. They enjoyed seeing the boats go in and out of the harbor. They had a beautiful sailboat that she named “Pretty Jazzy” (an expression she used often) and enjoyed sailing around the harbor.

Ann and Royce had the freedom to travel, which they took advantage of frequently. They traveled the world and enjoyed close to 30 cruises. Ann was accompanied on vacations by her sisters, family and sometimes friends when Royce did not travel with her. They also took a few road trips in their motor home. Ann continued to travel after Royce passed away in 2005 after 55 years of marriage. After his passing, Ann took several trips with her 2 daughters and short excursions with her friends.

Ann spent her later years planning her next adventure, playing twice weekly bridge games, spending time with her family including her 10 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren, faithfully watching and sometimes attending San Diego Padre games, and always hunting for the next bargain.

She had an everlasting zest for life and was always up for adventure and fun. Ann enjoyed socializing and spending time with family and friends. She had an incredibly positive attitude. She was an amazing mother, caring grandmother, supportive sister and loyal friend. She will be greatly missed by everyone who knew her during her amazing life on earth.