Charles Kirby Griffin Jr

Kirby is survived by Karen, his wife of 62 years, his three sons, Kasey (Tina), Sean (Kathy), and Kerry (Eilis), nine grandchildren, one great-grandchild, his beloved sister Kay Vega, brother-in-law Rick Graap, sister-in-law Gretchen Snyder, and many nieces and nephews.

Kirby met the love of his life, Karen (Graap), while attending the University of California, Berkeley. After graduating from George Washington Medical School in Washington, D.C., Kirby and Karen moved with their young family to Lake Oswego, Oregon, where they lived for the next 58 years.

After completing his residency at Good Samaritan Hospital in Portland, the family moved to Homberg, West Germany, where he practiced internal medicine. It was an incredibly formational year for the young family. Kirby then spent twenty years with St. Vincent Hospital, first in the emergency room, then as co-founder and Director of the Family Medical Care Unit. He eventually opened a private occupational health practice in Tigard, Oregon, where he worked until retirement.

Kirby was a remarkable man of many passions who managed to fit many lifetimes worth of experiences into his 85 years. He was a musician and singer who loved the stage, appearing in several Portland Opera productions and many musicals with the Lakewood Theatre Company in Lake Oswego. He loved a boisterous late night jam session, alternately playing guitar, mandolin, piano, the bodhran, and any other instrument he could get his hands on. He was easily lured into ‘just one more song’ into the wee morning hours. He and his sister Kay were both accomplished organists, and Kirby recorded four albums of Hammond organ music for Columbia Records in the late 1960s.

He was adventurous, snorkeling with marine life in the Galapagos, experiencing the desolate beauty of Southern Africa, and leading many family escapades throughout Europe, at one point getting lost and nearly missing the midnight departure deadline at Checkpoint Charlie in 1975 East Germany. His proclivity for wily antics started early. As a kid growing up in his beloved San Francisco, he and his pals were full of mischief, and may or may not have been the boys who released the bison from their paddocks in Golden Gate Park.

He was an athlete, playing ice hockey for many years and soccer until he was 80. He trained with the U.S. Olympic fencing team in the 1960s, only leaving fencing behind to focus on medical school. Kirby was a true soccer fan. He had season tickets to the Portland Timbers in the 1970s and 80s and attended many World Cup soccer matches over the years. His catch phrase on the soccer pitch was “just gimme the ball!”

Kirby was the life of the party, a loquacious bon vivant, always ready to regale anyone in earshot with witticisms, little-known facts, and tales of adventure. He truly enjoyed people and loved learning their life stories and interests.

Although he relished his many adventures, his truest passion was to be at home with his beloved Karen and their three boys. He loved working in the garden, planting and harvesting vegetables or excitedly bringing in giant dahlias for Karen. He was never happier than at family gatherings, playing a spirited game of bocce with the grandchildren and extended family, entertaining them with an endless supply of jokes and stories, and soaking up the love and family. He was one of a kind and showed those around him what it means to truly live life to the fullest. He will be greatly missed.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, February 3, at 12pm at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 3131 NE Glisan St., Portland, Oregon. A celebration of life will be held in the spring.