Catherine Ann Griffon

Catherine Ann Griffon, age 70, passed away peacefully September 22, 2022 in her home surrounded by her loving siblings.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Hugh Warren and Catherine Chadwick Griffon, and her brother, Hugh Warren Griffon, Jr.

She is survived by eight siblings and their spouses: Dianne Griffon Quigley (Tom), Michael Griffon (Sarah), Marsha Griffon Manuel, Dan Griffon (Pam), Mary Griffon Townsend, Therese Griffon (Mike Nance), Margaret "Meg" Griffon, Susan Griffon (Nathan Logsdon); twenty-seven nieces and nephews and their spouses; and great and grand nieces and nephews too many to count.

She wanted to be an astronaut and travel to the stars. Instead she settled for a different amazing life on Earth. She taught high school science. She worked as a computer programmer for the Naval Oceanographic Office and traveled around the world.  She installed software on an air craft carrier in the Indian Ocean and other ships at sea, and traveled to far flung places such as Paris, Tokyo, Guam, and Dubai.

She enjoyed participating in the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) recreating the culture of the Middle Ages as it should have been. Entering as a servant she rose to the position of Baroness. Her specialty in the SCA was the culinary arts of the Middle Ages, even having the annual award for the achievement in the culinary arts named after her.

Catherine was a woman of faith and was very involved in church activities. She was very generous, offering her time and talent to everyone. She sang in the choir at Holy Family Catholic Church, the Coast Chorale, and the Messiah Chorus. She was a recent recipient of the Lumen Christi (The Light of Christ) Award.

Catherine was a favorite aunt to her many nieces and nephews and their friends. She held “Camp Aunt Cathy” in the summer, opening a world of wonder encompassing arts and crafts, literature, creative writing, excursions to the beach, games of all sorts, lessons in knitting and crocheting, and gave them permission to use the word “jackass” when called for, thus solidifying her status as the favorite aunt. She was a living encyclopedia having a broad knowledge of almost any topic.

Catherine was the epitome of hospitality, serving tea on the “veranda”, celebrating Mardi Gras, Easter, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years which were annual traditions open to all, providing a place to gather, large quantities of food and a warm welcome.

Catherine had a group of treasured friends who gathered at her home each Sunday for coffee and lively discussions about wide ranging topics from the trivial to the profound.

In the end, the world can do without one more astronaut, but it needs lots more Aunt Cathys.

Visitation will be on Wednesday, September 28, 2022, from 1 – 2 pm at Holy Family Catholic Church.  The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 2 pm in the church.  Interment will be held at a later date in St. Paul Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the St. Vincent de Paul Society c/o Holy Family Catholic Church.

The Riemann Family Funeral Home, Long Beach, is serving the family and online condolences may be offered at www.riemannfamily.com

The mass will be live streamed on the following link (Copy and Paste into Internet Browser):

https://youtube.com/channel/UCMoY2423xiBkI5f22L2iuaA