Martha Louise Griffiths Richard's Obituary
Martha Louise Griffiths Richard passed away peacefully on Wednesday March 20, 2024.
A native of Portland, Maine, Mrs. Richard is survived by; her husband, Philip; son, Braden of Lake Stevens, WA and spouse, Stephanie; daughter, Susan Spencer of Indian Trail, NC and spouse, James; son, Matthew of Concord, NC and spouse, Kelly. Additionally, she is survived by grandchildren; Ethan Richard, Kyssandra Richard, Gavin Richard, Lauren Richard and Jolene Rose.
Martha was preceded in death by; parents, Margaret and Oscar Griffiths; brothers; Daniel Griffiths and Stephen Griffiths and special Aunt Catherine Qualey.
Mrs. Richard grew up in Portland and Bath, Maine, graduated from Saint Joseph Academy in 1960 and Plus Business School in Portland before being employed by New England Telephone and Telegraph for seven years. Married to Philip in 1965, she gave birth to Brad in Bath in 1968 immediately moving to Manchester, CT where Susan was born in 1975. In 1976 the family moved to Troy, MI where Matt was born in 1977. The family's last move was to Syracuse, NY in 2001 until Martha retired from J.C. Penney and Phil from Aetna Life and Casualty.
With the kids married and on their own, Martha and Phil began a 5-year odyssey of full-time RVing in their fifth wheel trailer with headquarters in Hilton Head, SC. Winters in Florida and Texas, summers in Maine and various other locales, Martha was very proud of the fact that she “slept” in all 50 states.
An accomplished crafter and painter, Martha exhibited in many venues over the years, her recent favorite was the Christmas Bazaar at Saint Mark Catholic Church in Huntersville where she and Phil were parishioners.
In addition to their travels in the RV, Martha enjoyed trips to Hawaii, Alaska, several vacations in Bermuda and particularly her cherished Ireland.
Always the very picture of a New England Lady, Martha was never seen without stylish outfits matching jewelry and she always put her face on “so not to scare anyone”.
The family will receive friends from 1 p.m. until 2 p.m. Wednesday, March 27, 2024 at Saint Mark Catholic Church with a funeral mass starting at 2 p.m.
Committal services will be held at NorthLake Memorial Gardens.
James Funeral Home is assisting the family, online condolences may be made at www.jamesfuneralhomelkn.com.
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