David A. Griffith

David A. Griffith Obituary 

Born on April 6th, 1940, in Peoria, Illinois, Dave was the middle child of three: older brother Ken and younger sister Ellen. His parents Gail and Evelyn raised the family in the Averyville section of Peoria. He was a Boy Scout and sang in the church choir. In 1958 he graduated from Woodruff High School.

He was the first person in his family to go to college and graduated from Bradley University with an accounting degree. He paid for it himself working as a caddy at the Peoria Country Club, and at a local gas station where he survived a late-night, armed robbery. Dave pledged Sigma Phi Epsilon and his fraternity brothers, their social activities, and traditions were important to him. He met his wife Christel in a Bradley Spanish class, and they married in 1965. They moved to Troy, Ohio where they raised their three children. 

Dave was always fit, focused on health, and remained a vegetarian all his life. He was also an avid reader, jogger, gardener, tennis player, and golfer. He earned his MBA from Wright State University and had a successful career in corporate America but was an entrepreneur at heart. Over the years he owned and sold various businesses including two Dunkin Donuts franchises, gas stations, rental properties, beer and wine drive throughs, delis, and a used restaurant supply company that he founded in Dayton, Ohio called Usedresteq. 

Education was extremely important to him, and he invested wisely to pay for all his grandchildren’s college educations. Dave absolutely loved his family, his work, his dogs, visiting Folly Beach, South Carolina, and Ohio State football. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Christel, daughter Lisa (son-in-law Steve Holcroft), sons:  Tom (daughter-in-law Michelle) and Pete (daughter-in-law Angela), grandchildren:  Alexandra, Connor, Alexis, Blake, and Andrew, and great granddaughter Selena. Dave left this world in the early hours of August 29, 2023. He optimistically fought a terrible disease, incredibly hard, for four and a half years. 

The memorial will be private and at a later date.  Condolences may be expressed to the family at www.bairdfuneralhome.com.