1943-2026
Carolyn Kay (Wall) Griffith, 83, daughter of Ted and Aura (Shoesmith) Wall, was born Feb. 16, 1943, at her grandparents’ home in Redfield. She passed away Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026, at her home in Guthrie Center.
Carolyn and Aura were living with Aura’s parents while Ted was serving in the Army during WWII. When Ted came home from the war, the family moved to a farm south of the Monteith Cemetery. Carolyn attended Monteith school until the family moved to Guthrie Center when she was in second grade. Carolyn was an only child for seven years, and on her seventh birthday a baby brother, Tommy, was born — the best birthday present ever (at least that’s what Tim always told her). Eventually, Carolyn and Tom were blessed with two more sisters, Marijean and then Pam.
Carolyn loved life on the farm and enjoyed going to do chores with her dad. She also loved their home in town across from the fairgrounds. It was the best place to grow up because it was partly like being in the country (there was seven acres with their property) yet close to uptown, the city park and swimming pool, county fair and the Dairy Sweet. What more could a kid ask for?
Carolyn cultivated a love for flowers early on from her paternal grandparents and her mother. All of her life, Carolyn enjoyed houseplants, especially African violets (starts from her grandma) and come spring she and Amy always went on a shopping spree for flowers to set out. Carolyn also loved to raise a garden every summer.
After high school, Carolyn attended and graduated from Thompson School of Beauty Culture in Des Moines. Carolyn opened her own beauty shop, Griffith’s Beauty Nook, in downtown Guthrie Center and then at her home for about 20 years.
On Oct. 18, 1964, Carolyn married Jim Griffith from Prentiss, Mississippi. They were married at the First United Methodist Church in Guthrie Center. Every time people found out Jim was from Mississippi, they would ask Carolyn, “How did you two meet?” Carolyn took a week’s vacation to New Orleans to visit a Guthrie Center friend and her husband. The friend introduced Carolyn to their neighbor, Jim, on the day she arrived, and they spent every day of her vacation together, then wrote letters back and forth for a few months. Then the friend and her husband moved back to Guthrie Center, and Jim came with them. He brought a diamond engagement ring with him, and he and Carolyn got engaged in September and got married a month later, and, as they say, the rest is history — 60 plus years of history. To this union, two beautiful children were born, Amy Marie in 1971 and James Ted in 1974.
Carolyn loved attending the kids’ school activities and never missed a music or band concert, football game or track meet. Tragically, Jimmy was killed in a firefighting explosion at the age of 26, a loss that never leaves a mother’s heart. Carolyn and Jim remained very close to Jimmy’s fiancé, Kelley, and her family, and, for that, Carolyn has always been very grateful.
Carolyn’s greatest joys in life were her children; grandchildren, Erica and Grant; and, in later years, her great grandchildren and her bonus kids, grands and great grands.
For the first 15 years of their marriage, Jim and Carolyn would spend six weeks in Mississippi with Jim’s family. Carolyn loved those visits because it allowed her and the kids to get well acquainted with their far-away cousins and Jim’s mother and sister. Carolyn loved Jim’s mother’s southern cooking and learned a lot about southern living.
Carolyn loved family gatherings and, for many years, never missed celebrating birthdays and holidays with her parents, siblings and their families.
Carolyn and Jim played in a monthly card group and also spent lots of weekend time with friends. They loved to camp and spent many happy weekends at Springbrook with their kids, friends and, later, their grandkids. She was also a member of the Guthrie Center Fire Department Women’s Auxiliary, and she and Jim enjoyed supporting the Arts Council, Art on State, and the Iowa Firefighter’s Memorial.
Carolyn enjoyed traveling and had trips to the Mississippi Gulf Coast, New Orleans and Mardi Gras, Alaska, Hawaii and some memorable family reunions in Michigan, Colorado and California.
Carolyn loved her church family and has been a member there since 1960. She sang in the choir since high school, taught Sunday School, was an MYF sponsor and belonged to United Methodist Women’s group. She gave children’s stories, served as worship assistant, and helped in the church kitchen many times. She always considered being a part of the church family a true blessing and cherished the many relationships built there.
Carolyn and Jim worked part time for Guthrie Center Assembly putting together bolts for Illinois Tool Works for several years, and, during that time, Carolyn served on the Guthrie Center Assembly Board. After retiring from the beauty shop entirely, Carolyn worked in the Guthrie County Hospital laundry for seven years. After that job ended, she kind of fell into, or rather walked into, a job as a teacher’s aide in the Title I reading room at Guthrie Center Elementary. It was her favorite job of all time because she always wanted to be a teacher and loved kids. This job fulfilled that dream, and she worked there for 12 years until full retirement at age 72. Shortly after she started the job at the school in 2004, she was diagnosed with breast cancer but managed to continue working while going through chemo and radiation. She always said she had a very understanding principal and very supportive coworkers. God blessed her with another 20-plus years. After retiring, Carolyn’s greatest joy was spending time with her grandkids and great-grandkids whose generous parents saw to it that it happened. Carolyn once read a saying that she said she always liked: “Grandchildren are our reward for having children.”
Passing before Carolyn were her parents, Ted and Aura Wall; Jim’s parents, Jewel Griffith and Harold Griffith; her son, Jimmy; her sister, Marijean Coffman; and her nephew, Bryant Floyd. Left to celebrate her life are her husband, Jim Griffith of Guthrie Center; daughter, Amy (Chuck) Cleveland of Guthrie Center; daughter-in-love, Kelley (Chism) Orr of Winterset; grandchildren Erica (David) Finster of Guthrie Center, Grant (Leigan) Cleveland of rural Panora, Josie (Dalton) Neuerkirk of Lorimor, and Jenna Orr of Winterset; great-grandchildren, Lawson, Olivia and Layne Finster and Creed Cleveland; brother Tom (Lynette) Wall of Davenport; sister Pam (Doug) Grow of Rippey; and many nieces, nephews and bonus grandkids and great-grandkids Zac (Cassie) Cleveland, Briley and Kaiden, Blaine Finster and many others whose life she blessed.
Memorial services will be 11 a.m., Friday, Aug. 21, 2026, at the First United Methodist Church, Guthrie Center. Visitation will be Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026, from 5-7 p.m. at the Twigg Funeral Home, Guthrie Center.
Memorials may be left to the discretion of the family.
Joan Lea Millhollin, 79, daughter of Billie and Helen (Knowlton) Heiland, was born April 2, 1947, in Jefferson. She passed away on Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026, at her home in Yale.
