Wes Griffith, a local businessman and longtime community volunteer, died suddenly at his Arnold home Oct. 7. He was 78.
Mr. Griffith, co-owner of the Ponderosa Steakhouse in Arnold, could regularly be found greeting and visiting with customers at the restaurant, and as a result, he was affectionately called “The Ambassador.”
He also was known for his kind, gentle personality and dedicated community service, his friends and family say.
“He was an icon in our community,” Arnold Mayor Ron Counts said. “He was quite a guy. He was on every board and committee in Arnold and throughout Jefferson County. And, he served on them not for the recognition, but, truthfully, to try to make things better. He is truly going to be missed. He was a kind and thoughtful person. People called him The Ambassador, and he truly was an ambassador.”
Mr. Griffith was a member of the Arnold Tourism Commission, the Rock Creek Sewer District board, the C-6 Educational Foundation board and the Jefferson College Foundation board. He was a member and former president of the Arnold Rotary Club, a member of the Salvation Army of Jefferson County board and a charter member of Fortune Bank in Arnold. He also was a former member and president of the Fox C-6 Board of Education.
He retired from AT&T after a 30-year career and opened the Ponderosa restaurant in 1988.
Arnold Police Chief Bob Shockey said Mr. Griffith was like a father to him.
“I looked at him as a second dad. After losing my dad 31 years ago, he filled that hollow spot,” Shockey said. “He was a great man, a pillar of the community. (His death) is a huge loss for the community, and it’s devastating to me. There’s going to be a big void in everyone’s life. He was loved by everyone. He was a loving person, always there to help and to listen.”
After Rotary Club luncheon meetings, which are held every Wednesday at the Ponderosa Steakhouse, Mr. Griffith often met with Shockey and other club members to smoke cigars and talk.
“I learned a lot from him,” Shockey said.
Another local businessman Steve Glenn, who co-owns GE Storage in Arnold, used to be one of the “cigar club” regulars and credits Mr. Griffith with getting him involved in community service, first on the Salvation Army board and then with the Arnold Rotary Club.
“He always encouraged me, and he had a gracious way of doing it,” Glenn said. “He was a good counselor. We’d sit and talk about scripture or family. If you had a problem, he was a good listener. He was an all-around good guy. We laughed a lot.”
Glenn said he’s a better person for knowing Mr. Griffith.
“Wes was a past Rotarian of the Year,” Glenn said. “Rotary’s motto is ‘Service Above Self,’ and he embodied that in so many ways.”
Dan Jones of the Daniel Jones & Associates accounting firm and Fortune Bank, both in Arnold, is married to Mr. Griffith’s daughter, Jennifer, and said he greatly admired his father-in-law.
“He was just what he appeared to be, in public and in private. The public saw the same person the family knew. He was the kindest, gentlest person, and I’ve never met anyone with more humility in my entire life. I’ve never heard Wes say one thing negative or bad about anyone or anyone say anything bad about him. He was always mild and calm, and the greatest example as a dad for Jennifer and Lisa, and for his grandkids.
Jones said Mr. Griffith’s kindness contributed to his success in business.
“He was always welcoming to the customers to Ponderosa, which is what kept them coming back. On an average day, Ponderosa probably serves 400 people and on a high day, 800 people. It (the restaurant) became a community gathering place. It’s more like a family environment inside the restaurant, and a lot of that was fostered from his graciousness.
“And, his business acumen is only second to the depth of his character. The family not only lost a husband, father, grandfather and father-in-law, but the community lost a great pillar. It (Mr. Griffith’s death) will leave a hole. He was a great example for young people to follow.”
Jeff Joergensen, another co-owner of the Arnold Ponderosa, said Mr. Griffith was still working up until his death.
“He did administrative work and guest relations,” Joergensen said.
He said Mr. Griffith and his wife had dinner and socialized at Ponderosa the evening of Oct. 5, and the next day Mr. Griffith had minor outpatient surgery.
Joergensen said the surgery went well, and Mr. Griffith seemed fine on Oct. 6, but he was found dead the next morning.
After the funeral services on Monday, guests were invited to lunch at Ponderosa, which was closed to the public until 4 p.m. that day, Joergensen said.
Mr. Griffith is survived by is wife of 58 years: Anna Griffith of Arnold, two daughters; Jennifer Jones and Lisa Sofia; five grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
For more obituary information, see Page 27.