Chilkat Valley News - Serving Haines and Klukwan, Alaska since 1966

Former resident Constance Foster Griffith, 90, died from progressive supra-nuclear palsy on Sept. 2 at Good Samaritan Adult Family Home Care in Reno, Nev. as Mendelssohn's, "Calm Sea and Prosperous Journey" played in the background.

"It was a real appropriate song for her, " said son Tom Griffith. A simple gathering of her caregivers and sons has already happened, though spontaneous memorial gatherings would be welcomed, he said.

Tall and athletically built with wavy white hair and a warm smile, Constance Griffith was easy to spot in a crowd, and she was often in them.

The retired teacher and social and environmental activist volunteered for organizations including the library, museum, KHNS, and Hospice of Haines. She was active in Lynn Canal Conservation, Alaska Native Sisterhood, and the Haines Presbyterian Church.

"Every action Mom ever took in her life to correct the injustices and sufferings everywhere – especially of children – were guided by her deep faith in God and his message delivered to us through the teachings of Jesus," Tom Griffith said.

Constance Griffith vacationed in Haines for years before moving into a log home she helped her son and Haines craftsmen build in 1996. Tom Faverty worked on the place. "I have so many vivid memories of her, from peeling logs in the morning as we arrived, to cooking up halibut head soup in her trailer... to drinking Guinness with us after work on Friday," Faverty said.

She dubbed the smaller place next door she later occupied, "The Granny House," and finally lived in the Haines Senior Village until illness required moving south in 2006.

Teacher Patty Brown recalled the way Griffith cared for Senior Village neighbors. "I remember Constance saying, 'I have to go read to the old ladies,' and she was about 80," Brown said.

Griffith hosted the classical music show on KHNS, alternating weeks with Bob Plucker. "The word eclectic comes to mind," Plucker said. "Constance loved classical music and had an extremely gracious manner on the air, and of course off, as well," Plucker said. The program may have even saved her life. Griffith was on the air when she passed out from a bad reaction to wild mushrooms and listeners alerted EMTs.

Constance Foster Burden was born July 24, 1924, in Summerville, S.C. Her father was an architect and her mother taught school. "Growing up in the South was deeply troubling for her. She had a lot of empathy for the blacks and some of her favorite people growing up were black, especially a carpenter who worked for her dad," said son Tom Griffith.

She attended Charleston College for a year and continued her studies at more progressive Antioch College in Ohio where she met her future husband, Sanford Griffith. He was working in Fairbanks when she joined him there in 1946. "It was 65 below and he met her with a parka and took her straight to the courthouse to marry," Tom Griffith said. They raised four sons.

Griffith earned a master's degree in education from UAF, taught at the University Park school, and helped launch the Head Start pre-school program in Alaska.

"Mom spent a lot of time with Native Alaskans through her work helping get the program off the ground in villages in the 1960s. That experience delighted her," Tom said.

In 1968 the family moved to Ketchikan, where Griffith taught grade school until her retirement, when she earned a law degree from Antioch Law School in Washington D.C. "I think she was their oldest graduate at about 65," Tom Griffith said.

Returning to Ketchikan, she became a legal guardian, representing children in the court system. She continued some of this work after moving to Haines. Charles Griffith said his mother had an infectious laugh "but she was all business when advocating for the less fortunate, the environment, or for children."

Griffith was a president of the League of Women Voters in Alaska and a longtime member of the NAACP. She is listed among significant donors on the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C.

The Haines Borough named Oct. 25, 2006, "Constance Griffith Day" in gratitude for her service to Haines. "Constance embraced the community, and gave generously of her spirit, intellect, time, and energy in so many ways," said friend Kathleen Menke. "She was a great lady."

She is survived by three sons, Charles, of Nevada; Thomas, of Vermont, and Benjamin, of Ohio; seven grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren and brother, Henry Burden, of Maryland. Son Peter preceded her in death.

Donations in her memory can be made to any children's organization. Condolences can be sent to Charles Griffith at charley6980@msn.com.