Westfield – It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved mother, Mildred L. (Chapman) Griffin, on Saturday, March 11, 2017. Mom was born on February 16, 1917, to Frederick and Naomi (Cook) Chapman in West Granville, MA. Her mother died when she was 15, and she learned that no matter what hand you got dealt, you had to get out of bed every morning, put one foot in front of the other and do what had to be done, without complaining, because that didn’t accomplish anything. This attitude and her comical, witty sense of humor helped propel her to live to be 100 years old! Millie graduated from Westfield High School in 1936 and continued to take care of her younger sister and brother. She married Henry L. Griffin and had 3 children. When her youngest child started school, she went to work at Boxmakers in Westfield where she worked for 23 years, retiring in 1982. Millie loved gardening, baking, spending time with family, poetry, animals, and music. She was a self-taught piano player, who could play by ear anything she heard. She always said music brought people together and scowled at us when we said we thought alcohol did that.
Millie’s Country Store in Southwick was opened in 1997 by her two daughters and aptly-named after her because good food to us meant going to “moms”. Customers enjoyed her home-baked cakes and cookies, and on Thursdays, her corn chowder. Millie is survived by her loving children: Gene Griffin and his wife Rolita, Lee Archambault and his wife Diane; Marie Boccasile; and Joice Romboletti. She leaves her granddaughter Karen (Griffin) Michna and her husband, Rich, and great grandsons Joshua and Nicolas; and her grandsons Lee, Mark, Kevin, and Kris and their children.
Many thanks to her very special friend, Bruce Duval, for the time he spent with her and all the cakes and cookies he brought when mom no longer baked. Her lap will be greatly missed by her feline fur babies. Millie was predeceased by her parents; her brother, Wallace Chapman; her sister, Helena, who died at age 14; and her husband Henry L. Griffin.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, May 13, 1:00 to 3:00, at the Firtion-Adams Funeral Home, 76 Broad Street, Westfield. Donations can be made to the Westfield Ambulance Fund, 34 Broad Street, Westfield, MA 01085.
Many thanks to the Westfield Paramedics, Police Department, and the Baystate Noble ER Staff and Staff on 2 North for their exemplary treatment of our mother and family during this difficult time. firtionadams.com
