Anne Farquhar Griffin, age 94, died with her daughter Shore by her side in the early hours of December 9 after a stage IV cancer diagnosis just three days prior. Fiercely independent, still living on her own and driving (!), she departed this life as she lived – on her own terms.
Born April 17,1930 in New York City to Roger Vereker Farquhar and Mary Katherine Blagden Farquhar, she attended The Nightingale-Bamford School and graduated from The Westover School and Briarcliff College. She worked for Spadea, Inc., a fashion reporting newspaper syndicate and advertising firm for three years before marrying The Rev. Julian Rumsey Ellis in 1952. After Julian’s death in 1956, she returned to New York City and worked in the Strang Cancer Prevention Center at Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center until 1963, when she married The Rev. William Augustin Griffin, Professor of Old Testament at the School of Theology in Sewanee, TN. After Bill’s death in 1988, she considered moving back to New York, but knew Sewanee was home.
Moving from New York City to Sewanee was in every way the shock you might imagine! She committed to building a life in this small southern university town, and the Sewanee community welcomed her with open arms. She was the first female Senior Warden of Otey Memorial Church (now the Parish of St. Mark and St. Paul), a Girl Scout troop leader, chair of Community Chest drives, and elected to the boards of Thurmond Library, Emerald Hodgson Hospital and Auxiliary, Methodist Hospital, Blue Monarch, St. Andrew’s-Sewanee School, and Folks at Home, just to name a few. She was particularly proud of having been awarded the St. Andrew’s-Sewanee Service Award.
Known for many things including being a most gracious hostesses of many a grand party in her home, she would most like to be remembered for the deep connections she forged with so many, in an endeavor to bring people together who didn’t realize they each would benefit by meeting one other, and benefit Sewanee. She was a connector of people.
With her piercing blue eyes, generous spirit and infectious exuberance for life, she met every challenge head-on. Nothing was insurmountable. She saw potential and possibility in everyone, even when they did not see it in themselves. She lived every day in the moment, doing everything in her power to make someone’s life better.
A seasoned traveler from a young age, she and daughter Shore were the best travelling companions. Her greatest joy was her daughter, and they had a grand time together.
A family genealogy trip to Scotland and a trip to Africa were two highlights of their many adventures.
Always curious and wanting to know more…she was a voracious reader always up on current events. She loved games and puzzles and was fiercely competitive. A Scrabble master nearly impossible to beat, an expert Sudoku and crossword puzzler and a formidable Bridge and Backgammon opponent. Games were best accompanied by ice cream – her favorite food group. Birthdays were meant to be celebrated, and Christmas was her favorite holiday.
Anne is survived by her only child, Shore Blagden Griffin (Jim Dye) of Nashville, TN, other “daughters” Ann Hatchett, Elizabeth Walker Koella and Bowman Turlington O’Connor, her godchild, Teresa Fort Piasecki, and so very many dear friends.
Her funeral service will be January 11 at 1:30 p.m., at All Saints Chapel, followed by the committal of her ashes at the University Cemetery, followed by a reception at Kennerly Hall at the Parish of St. Mark & St. Paul, formerly Otey Memorial Parish. We will celebrate her being welcomed into the arms of angels and archangels and all the company of heaven, just as Sewanee welcomed her so many years ago.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to St. Andrew’s-Sewanee School’s William S. Wade Fund for Financial Aid, the William A. Griffin Scholarship for Study in the Holy Land at the University of the South, The Parish of St. Mark and St. Paul, Animal Harbor, or to a charity meaningful to you.
