CHARLES GRIFFITH WAS A LOVING HUSBAND, DEVOTED FATHER, AND A MAN WHOSE LIFE WAS DEEPLY SHAPED BY HIS FAITH, FAMILY, AND COMMUNITY. T H E ELDEST S O N O F LOUISE GRIFFITH AND HUBERT GRIFFITH JR., CHARLES GREW UP WITH A STRONG FOUNDATION IN FAITH.

H E SPENT HIS EARLY YEARS PLAYING SPORTS A N D ATTENDING HILL'S FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH, WHERE H E NOT O N LY F O U N D A LOVE FOR THE CHURCH, BUT ALSO BUILT A LIFELONG RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST. AFTER GRADUATING FROM ATHENS INDUSTRIAL H I G H SCHOOL IN 1959, CHARLES AND HIS WIFE, DELREE, EMBARKED ON A NEW ADVENTURE. THEY MOVED TO THE BRONX, NEW YORK, WITH THEIR NEWBORN CHILD, WHERE THEY WOULD G O O N T O RAISE BEAUTIFUL FAMILY, EVENTUALLY HAVING THREE MORE CHILDREN. LIFE IN THE CITY WAS FULL OF CHALLENGES, BUT ALSO FILLED WITH GROWTH, AS CHARLES A N D DELREE BUILT A LIFE TOGETHER, ALWAYS KEEPING FAMILY CLOSE AT HEART. YEARS LATER, CHARLES MADE THE DECISION T O RETURN T O HIS ROOTS, BRINGING HIS FAMILY BACK TO ATHENS WHERE HE WOULD FIND NEW OPPORTUNITIES AND CONTINUE TO SERVE HIS COMMUNITY. H E WORKED FOR ATHENS-CLARKE COUNTY PARKS AND RECREATION, A JOB THAT ALLOWED HIM T O CONNECT WITH PEOPLE FROM AL WALKS OF LIFE. IT WAS DURING THIS TIME THAT CHARLES DISCOVERED A DEEP LOVE FOR THE GAME OF GOLF, WHICH BECAME B O T H A PASION A N D A GATEWAY T O BUILDING LASTING FRIENDSHIPS. AS A PROUD MEMBER O F THE ONLY BLACK GOLF ASOCIATION I N TOWN, CHARLES FOUND N O T ONLY A SPORT H E LOVED BUT ALSO A SENSE O F BROTHERHOOD THAT STAYED WITH H I M THROUGHOUT HIS LIFE. AFTER RETIRING FROM CLARKE COUNTY, CHARLES EMBRACED HIS WELL-EARNED TIME I N RETIREMENT WITH T H E SAME WARMTH AND GENEROSITY THAT HAD ALWAYS DEFINED HIM. HE TREASURED SPENDING TIME WITH HIS FAMILY, PLAYING GOLF WITH FRIENDS, AND LIVING EACH DAY WITH THE JOY AND PEACE THAT CAME FROM HIS STRONG FAITH AND THE LOVE O F THOSE CLOSEST T O HIM. CHARLES'S LIFE WAS ONE OF HE FAMILY LEAVES BEHIND A LEGACY CHERISHED MEMORIES, ALONG WHO WILL CONTINUE OF SERVICE, FAITH, AND CONNECTION. LOVE, LAUGHTER , AND WITH A HOST O F FRIENDS AND TO HONOR HIS MEMORY FOR YEARS.