Beatrice M. Griffith

1928 - 2020

HARTWICK – Beatrice M. Griffith, a life-long resident of Hartwick, passed away Friday morning, October 9, 2020, at Cooperstown Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing. She was 92.

Born in Hartwick on July 5, 1928, Bea was a daughter of Fred I. Gill, Sr. and Myrtle S. Pickens Gill. 

She attended school in Hartwick and graduated from Hartwick High School, where she was elected Queen of the Senior Class.  Bea truly enjoyed living in and volunteering for many events in the Hartwick community, including helping with cookouts at the Vets Club. She also worked for many years caring for elderly individuals in their homes in the Hartwick area, as well as babysitting for area children. 

She married Stanley Dewitt Griffith on July 5, 1948, in Hartwick, and enjoyed 40 years of marriage until his passing on June 17, 1989.

Bea is survived by her two sons, William S. Griffith of Oneonta, and Wayne J. Griffith and wife, Randi of Hartwick; seven grandchildren; four great grandchildren; a brother, Fred I. Gill, Jr. and wife, Eileen, of North Carolina; a sister, Barbara Bard of Oneonta; and several nieces and nephews.

In addition to her husband, Bea was predeceased by a daughter, Nancy A. Suhocki who died March 19, 2018, and a grandson, Wayne Griffith, who died in 1975. 

A graveside service will be offered at 11 a.m. Thursday, October 15, 2020, in the Hartwick Cemetery, with the Rev. Joseph Perdue, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Cooperstown officiating. Due to the current pandemic, it is respectfully requested that all attending please wear a face covering or mask and to observe proper physical distancing. 

Memorial donations may be made to the Hartwick Fire Department Co. No. 1, PO Box 86, Hartwick, NY  13348.

Arrangements are under the care and guidance of the Connell, Dow & Deysenroth Funeral Home in Cooperstown.


If you would like to send condolences to the family, send an email to Connell, Dow & Deysenroth. We will forward your comments to the family. If you would like to send flowers in memory of the deceased, contact Mohican Flowers at (607) 547-8822, or A Rose is a Rose at (607) 264-3100.