Napa - Grady E. Griffin passed away on Feb 26, 2005 following a short, but intense battle with cancer. He died at home, cared for by his loving wife, daughter, sister-in-law, niece, and neighbor.

Grady was born June 10, 1942 in Hugo, Okla.

Grady's life was defined by the love he felt for his famil7 and the patriotism he felt for his country, which he proudly served for 28 years as a U.S. Navy Seabee. To list all of Grady's accomplishments in service to his country would fill a library of substantial size, so we (his loving family) offer the following highlights. He served three tours of duty in Vietnam/Thailand and in Kuwai/Iraq during Operation Desert Storm. In between, he served in other locales, like: Midway Island; Memphis, Tenn; Port Hueneme, Calif; Boardman, Ore; Abijan, Ivory Coast; Frankfuty, Germany; the island of Diego Garcia; Guam and Dunoon, Scotland. At the time of his retirement in 1992, Grady was Command Master Chief for the 31st Naval Construction Regiment. During his srvice, Grady was awarded the Navy Achievement Medal, services medals for his service in Vietnam and Operation Desert Storm and more unit citations and good conduct awards than we have been able to count.

After his retirement, Grady was employed first by Kellog, Brown and Root, then by Soltec as a construction supervisor/quality control expert/safety chief. During his employment with these companies, he continued serving his country in such diverse projects as; the U.N. mission to Haiti; the NATO mission in Macedonia and the construction of the enemy conmbatant detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cubal He was also a lifetime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

For all of his accomplishments in the U.S. Navy, Grady was most proud of his family. He is survived by: loving wife Paulette and daughter Desiree of American Canyon; devoted sons Matthew and Michael Griffin, daughters-in-law Teri and LeeAnne, grandchildren Lauren, Connor, Ian and Delaney of Portland, Ore; sister Glennis Boyd of Oklahoma City, Okla; brother Charles Griffin of Sunray, Texas and brother Howard Griffin of Virginia.

A celebration of life and legacy event will be held Friday, March 4, from 2 to 5 p.m. at Villa Romano Restaurant (corner of Highway 29 and Soscol Ferry Road). In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Grady's name to the Seabee Memorial Scholarship Association, P.O. Box 6574, Silver Spring, MD  20916.

"Fair winds and following seas" to you, our beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, friend and Seabee. There will never be another like you. You meant more to us than you will ever know.

Treadway & Wigger Funeral Chapel and Crematory is serving the family of Mr. Griffin.