Marva Jean Griffin
November 03, 1938 - June 21, 2020 Marva Jean Bahr Griffin was born November 3, 1938, in Neola, Duchesne County, Utah to William Martin Bahr and Ruth Mitchell Bahr. She was born in her grandparent’s home, which was actually their living quarters in the back of their store. She was named for her maternal grandfather, Marvin R. Mitchell, but was called “Jean” throughout her life. Jean was the second of nine children.
Her father was in the army air corp during WWII, which meant she grew up in many places, including Hill Field. In the summers her family moved to Uinta Basin and lived on her grandparents’ farm while her father crop dusted and gave flying lessons. The family later purchased a farm in Payette, Idaho.
Jean started school in Salt Lake City and her grandmother registered her in the wrong class; she was put in 1st grade instead of kindergarten and that was never corrected. She was always the youngest in her class.
She was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 8 years old in Payette. She later attended junior high in Logan and Midvale, and high school at Lehi High. When she was 15, she began working at Saratoga Springs Resort in concessions and tickets. It was there that she fell in love with the 19-year-old head lifeguard, Rodney Dale Griffin. Their first date was to church, and on June 30, 1955, when Jean was 16, they married in the Salt Lake Temple. In the fall, Jean attended her senior year of high school and Rod signed her report cards. She graduated in 1956 and also graduated from seminary.
They eventually had 5 children and lived throughout the United States: Utah, California, Nevada, Nebraska, Missouri, and Texas. They had many happy times in all the places they lived, made many friends, and always served in the church.
Besides raising her children, Jean worked full time throughout her life as a secretary at many different places. She had many talents: she sewed her children’s’ clothing and dolls, crocheted beautiful blankets, painted beautiful paintings, grew and tended to a garden, canned food and baked cookies for her family and neighbors (and to satisfy her own sweet tooth). She loved to read, especially historical fiction. She also loved animals and always had a dog or cat or both, and after she and Rod retired and lived in New Harmony, they had a mini-farm with a goat, guinea hens and geese.
After retirement, Jean and Rod worked many years for Dixie College Road Scholar, where they hosted and taught seniors from all over the world as they traveled to the National Parks and sites throughout Southern Utah, Northern Arizona, and the Four Corners region.
Jean always faithfully served in church callings, including a 2-year mission with Rod in the New Jersey—Cherry Hill mission. She worked so hard that her mission president said she worked herself nearly to death, but it was one of the highlights of her life. She also loved working as an ordinance worker and in the baptistry at the St. George LDS Temple.
She was a loving, caring wife, mother and grandmother, and her family was her most precious treasure. She made every grandchild, and even every great grandchild, know that she loved and genuinely cared about them. She had a light in her eyes that made everyone feel loved.
Jean is preceded in death by her parents and five siblings, her oldest son, Gordon Dale Griffin, and her granddaughter, Rebecca Lynn Griffin. She is survived by her dear husband, Rodney Dale, her children, Eldon (Diane), Laura Squires (Ben), Andy (Shelly), and Wendy Dickie (Edward); her two sisters Sharon Bergeman (Darwin) and Marilyn Walters (Del), and one brother, Donald Bahr (Patricia); 17 grandchildren and 26 great-grandchildren.
Private Family Services
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