William Richard "Bill" Griffith Jr.

William Griffith, 90, Concrete Materials

LAKE WALES -- Mr. William R. "Bill" Griffith was a family oriented man who enjoyed life to the fullest.

"He was so committed to my mother and to his five children," said his daughter, Elaine Matthews, of Maitland. "Family and friends were what he lived for.

"He balanced his business with his family in an amazing way, and he was a deep man of faith. He trusted the Lord; he always said `My help cometh from the Lord.' He really embraced life to the fullest."

Mr. Griffith, the retired co-owner of Concrete Materials Corp. in Lake Wales, died Sunday (Jan. 29, 2006) at Lake Wales Medical Center of complications following a stroke. He was 90.

Born in Lansford, Pa., on Oct. 25, 1915, Mr. Griffith, who had an interest in the ways things work and an ability to fix them, received a degree in industrial engineering in 1938 from Penn State University and a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Duke University in 1942.

He met his future wife at Duke and the couple wed in May 1944. Shortly afterward, Mr. Griffith shipped out, serving in the Army Air Corps in World War II. He was stationed in the South Pacific and Australia.

While on a visit to Central Florida looking for a concrete materials business to purchase, Mr. Griffith and his partner, Paul Gwynn, came across Dodd Concrete Products. The owner was getting ready to retire, and they purchased the business in 1955 and changed the name to Concrete Materials Corp. of Lake Wales.

"They were drawn to Lake Wales because it is such a charming town and a wonderful place to raise a family," Matthews said. "He loved Lake Wales and having fruit trees in our backyard."

The business expanded, operating out of St. Cloud, Haines City, Kissimmee and Lake Wales, where the headquarters continued to be located. Mr. Griffith retired in 1984.

He was a bridge player, golfer and member of the Lake Wales Country Club. He made a hole-in-one at the Piedmont Inn in North Carolina.

He was a former member of the Lake Wales Kiwanis Club. He was a former officer in the Florida Concrete Products Association. He was a deacon and elder at the First Presbyterian Church of Lake Wales.

In addition to his daughter, Elaine Matthews, Mr. Griffith is survived by his wife, Beverly D. Griffith; daughters, Carol Orr, Bellevue, Wash., Diane Laws, Brunswick, Ga., and Laurie Anderson, Lilburn, Ga.; son, William R. Griffith III, Baker; sister, Margaret Snyder, Longwood; and 11 grandchildren.

Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Marion Nelson Funeral Home in Lake Wales. Services will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at First Presbyterian Church. Burial will follow in Lake Wales Cemetery.

Memorials may be made to Lake Wales Care Center, 140 E. Park Ave., Lake Wales, FL 33853, or First Presbyterian Church, Missions Fund, 16 N. Third St., Lake Wales, FL 33853.