Obituary: Griffith Lee Thomas

Griffith Lee Thomas 

Aug. 7, 1942 - March 28, 2021

Griffith Lee Thomas was born on Aug. 7, 1942, in South Gate, Calif., to Robert C. Thomas and Ruth L. Bibb Thomas. He attended and graduated pharmacy school in Laramie, Wyo., where he was honored with a Rho Chi Membership. Griff served as a Navy Hospital Corpsman with the Marines in Vietnam.

Pharmacy and family occupied his mind and heart. He worked as a pharmacist at Payless, downtown The Dalles, then at Cascade Square when Payless moved. He continued working there when it became Value Giant and finally Rite Aid. He retired after 38 years of being a pharmacist.

Dried cockroaches anyone?

Griff would eat ‘em. He loved the challenge of eating new and unusual foods wherever he traveled with his family. He ate octopus in four different countries. Griff’s love of travel, food, science, and China also took him to the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtzee River in 2009 to view the solar eclipse.

He enjoyed a wide range of movies from African Queen to Zombieland, and music from Adele to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Griff is survived by his wife Carolyn; his children, Mark, Michael, and wife Divya Sharma, Lisabeth and Kevin; his grandchildren, Alcides and fiance Leyra, Larissa, Leonardo, Elen, Nishtah, Eeshani, and Caylee; his brother Timothy (T. Norman) Thomas and wife Pam; and sister-in-law Shirley. 

Griff was preceded in death by son Jed; daughter-in-law Jody; and older brother Wayne.  

Griff trying some unusual food in Japan.