Dorothy Griffiths

Dorothy Aitken Simister Griffiths

, 83, passed away in Chandler, Arizona on April 3, 2017 after a year-long battle with melanoma cancer. Dorothy is the daughter of the late George and Beatrice Simister born July 16, 1933 in San Francisco, California as the only girl in a family of 4 brothers. She attended school in San Francisco and graduated from Lincoln High School in 1951. She married Keith Knowles Griffiths (deceased 1973) on November 21, 1952. Dorothy worked as a bank secretary until she became a mother in 1957. The family moved to Concord, California in 1962 and raised their six children there. After her husband’s death at the age of 40, she worked as a secretary and then a banker in the commercial loan departments of several different banks in California until she retired in 1997, which is when she moved to her retirement home in Sun Lakes, Arizona in January 1999. A devout Latter-Day Saint, Dorothy gave a lifetime of service in the church including organist, pianist, primary president, teacher, young women’s advisor, ward missionary, visiting teacher, and in many other ways. She was a talented musician playing the violin, piano, and organ. She began playing the piano for church meetings as early as 12-years-old and continued until shortly before her passing. She served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints from December, 2006 to July, 2008 for the Church History Department in Salt Lake City, Utah. Dorothy loved studying history, politics, and was a voracious reader. She also loved traveling, having visited Europe several times, the Holy Land, Hawaii, Canada, Alaska, Mexico, and nearly every state in the continental United States. Her favorite place to go, however, was Disneyland which she did several times during her life. She also attended the temple at least once a month. Her children always loved her cooking, especially her chocolate chip cookies, Yorkshire pudding, homemade pies, and her hand-dipped chocolates. Dorothy was most proud of her role as wife, mother, and grandmother. She loved visiting her children and grandchildren and having them visit her as much as possible. Dorothy was loved by her family and many friends. They would describe her as beautiful, gracious, stalwart, faithful, disciplined, elegant, strong, sensible, spiritual, and compassionate (to name a few). She is survived by her children: Kevin Griffiths (Denise) of Bountiful, Utah; Kimberley Little (Charles) of Peralta, New Mexico; Kari Griffiths of Chandler, Arizona; Kirsten Werk (Kevin) of Brentwood, California; Kurt Griffiths (Brenda) of Bothwell, Utah; and was preceded in death by Kendall Griffiths (Kelly) of San Diego, California. Dorothy is survived by 16 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren and preceded in death by two granddaughters. She is also survived by cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, in-laws, and many close friends. We will all miss her terribly. Funeral services for Dorothy will be on Saturday, April 8, 2017 at 11:00 A.M at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 800 Chandler Heights Road, Chandler, Arizona. Mortuary Services provided by Bueler Mortuary, 14 W. Hulet Drive, Chandler, Arizona. Interment at the Valley of the Sun, 10940 E. Chandler Heights Road, Chandler, Arizona.