Kathryn Sue Griffith

Kathryn Sue Griffith, 86, of Sacramento, California, passed away peacefully on April 7, 2023. She is preceded in death by her husband, Terry Griffith, sister, Sandy Creveling, and parents, Charles and Mary (Derham) Saunders. She is survived by her son, Doug Griffith, and his wife, Maura, daughter, Anne (Griffith) Colucci, and her husband, Bill, and son, Ken Griffith. She is also survived by grandchildren Kevin Griffith, Sarah Griffith, David Griffith, Tony Colucci and his wife, Janet, Bryan Colucci and his wife, Catie, and Joey Colucci, as well as great-grandchildren, Cory Colucci and Dante Colucci.

Sue was born on June 14, 1936, in Omaha, Nebraska to Charles and Mary (Derham) Saunders. She spent her elementary years in Omaha, growing up in a house along the Missouri River, and moved to Seattle, Washington, prior to high school. Growing up, Sue enjoyed tennis, ice skating, swimming, basketball, biking and playing the piano. She especially loved tennis and was passionate about watching all the Grand Slam tournaments, particularly Wimbledon. Sue attended Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, where she studied history and Catholicism. She was patriotic and delighted in the fact that her birthday fell on Flag Day. 

Sue met her husband, Terry, during the 1962 World’s Fair in Seattle. At the time, they both worked at different Seafirst Bank branches in the Seattle area but were assigned temporarily to the branch located on the fairgrounds, where they worked together on weekends. Only two months after meeting, they were engaged.  Married on November 10, 1962, they spent the next 46 years together. They moved to Menlo Park, California, in 1964.

Sue was passionate about charitable work and teaching. She taught social sciences and served as a college counselor at Sacred Heart Preparatory in Atherton for 15 years. She was also the coordinator of the CCD program at Saint Raymond Catholic Church in Menlo Park and volunteered for numerous parent projects and field trips at the schools her three children attended. Over the years, Sue also volunteered her time to the United Way, American Heart Association, and the American Cancer Society.  After retiring and moving to Elk Grove, she and Terry co-chaired and organized two Relay for Life events there, raising over $400,000 in support of cancer patients and research. Perhaps the most impressive volunteer work came in 1975 when she and Terry donated their time and love to Vietnamese orphans who were airlifted to the U.S. as part of the fall of Saigon.

Sue will be remembered as a loving mother who was passionate about giving back to the communities in which she lived, having positively touched thousands of lives through her many years of teaching and volunteer work. The ashes of Sue and Terry will be buried together at Holyrood Cemetery in Shoreline, Washington, just north of Seattle. We love you, mom! Rest in Peace.