Joseph R. Griffin
MERRIMACK, New Hampshire – Joseph R. Griffin, 67, passed away Friday evening July 30, 2021, sur-rounded by his loving family at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.
Joseph (Joe) Griffin was a family man, a lifelong educator, and friend to all. He was known for his signature Boston Red Sox cap and his yellow GLTECH Polo, and his warm smile and demeanor.
Born and raised in Lowell, Massachusetts, Highlands Neighborhood, December 25, 1953, the son of the late Joseph Griffin and the late Patricia Griffin, the middle child of five children, he attended St. Margaret’s Elementary School in Lowell, was a Bishop Guertin graduate, and graduated from Southern Vermont College with a Bachelor’s Degree in English in December 1977, where he pitched for their Mountaineers Baseball Team.
Joseph was a loving and devoted husband, proud and affectionate father, and a kindhearted broth-er and uncle. Joseph dedicated his life to his family and was proud of his Irish heritage. He embod-ied the ideals of core family values and was key to keeping his large extended family connected and involved in each other’s lives, despite being separated by distance.
Joe’s pride and joy was his adored wife of 33 years, Maureen. Joe met his wife at GLTECH. They fell in love and were married while living in Lowell. They moved north to Merrimack, NH where they built a tight-knit family of four with their sons Patrick and Conor. As the chef of the house, he al-ways made sure that there was a hearty family dinner each night, he was always last to serve him-self. After dinner, he could be found answering each question on the night’s episode of Jeopardy, discussing his latest read with children, enjoying some classic Rock and Roll, or completing his daily crossword puzzle from the Lowell Sun.
Joseph was a devoted Marketing Education Teacher of Greater Lowell Regional Vocational Technical High School (GLTECH) in Tyngsboro, Massachusetts, where his students knew him as Mr. G. He re-tired from his passion of teaching in 2018 after a 35-year career. Joe loved his students and consid-ered it an honor to not just be their mentor, but also to remain friends after graduation. In retire-ment, he returned to substitute teach and connected with his students on Facebook seeing the lives they built after High School. Over the years, Joseph was recognized on numerous occasions for excellence in teaching by the Massachusetts Department of Education.
Joseph extended his educator role onto the diamond and gridiron of his sons’ baseball and football games. Over the years he was a head coach, assistant coach, a member of the chain gang, and equipment manager, and was committed to seeing each practice and game he could for his sons. Through countless practices and games, he built lasting friendships with the other families on the sidelines.
Joe was at heart an adventurer who appreciated and sought the road less traveled. Joseph embod-ied the concept: “Those who wander are never truly lost”. He loved long car rides with his dog Murphy, camping, vacation and trips with his family, and exploring nature and wildlife. Joe appreci-ated the beauty of the night sky, meteor showers, and visible planet sightings and was known to wake the family up at early hours to share it. Newfound Lake was one of Joe’s favorite spots. Whether it be a day trip, or weeklong stay with visiting family, Joe cherished these days on the Lake.
A faithful member of the Catholic church, Joseph was a humble man who was always willing to lend a hand and always put others before himself. He was a man of routine and believed firmly that hard work is both rewarding and would lead to a successful and fulfilling life. Joseph enjoyed sharing these values as both a father and constant teacher for his sons.
Joseph lived his life through love and compassion for others. He would always drop a bit of invalua-ble wisdom, sometimes so subtle, if you weren’t paying close enough attention you might miss it. Joseph always knew his place in the world and left a lasting mark on many lives. Joseph was his wife and son’s hero and the lessons and memories of him will make him live on forever.
As mentioned, Joseph loved Facebook and the ability to connect with others wherever they are. Now that he is in Heaven, his page will soon be memorialized. Please continue to share your mem-ories with him and your life achievements, or even just to say hello. We know he is still watching over all of us and will love to hear from you all.
Joseph is survived by his wife Maureen V. Griffin of Merrimack, NH, his son Patrick J. Griffin and his wife Kathryn, of Somerville, MA, his son Conor M. Griffin and his girlfriend Haley Watson of Man-chester, NH, three sisters Patricia E. Griffin of Lawrenceville, GA, Mary Elizabeth Marsh and her late husband, William of Springboro, Ohio, and Martha A. Sanford and her husband George of Mt. Pleas-ant, TX; and brother Stephen J. Griffin of Haverhill, MA; and brother-in-law Brian B. Gleason of Mer-rimack, NH; and many cousins, nieces, nephews, and grandnieces; and his beloved dog Murphy.
The family wishes to honor the memory of Joseph Griffin and his mission of promoting education with contributions to the Future Joseph R. Griffin Scholarship Fund. The Fund is in the process of being established and information will be communicated at a later date.
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FUNERAL NOTICE
Visiting hours Monday, August 9, 2021 from 3:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. at the DOLAN FU-NERAL HOME, CHELMSFORD, MA. Funeral Tuesday, August 10, 2021 at 8:00 A.M. from the DOLAN FUNERAL HOME 106 MIDDLESEX ST. CHELMSFORD, with a fu-neral Mass at 9:30 A.M. at Our Lady of Mercy Parish 16 Baboosic Lake Road Merri-mack, NH 03054. Burial in the New Saint Joseph Cemetery, 448 Donald Street Bed-ford, NH 03110. ARRANGEMENTS BY DOLAN FUNERAL HOME 978-251-4041. Guestbook at www.dolanfuneralhome.com.