Diana Sue Griffith

Diana Sue Griffith left this earthly plane surrounded by her family and beloved pugs and puggle family on April 18, 2025. She was born November 18, 1948 in the middle of a blizzard in Scott City, KS to parents Emil and Alberta (Pinkston) Brandenburger. Diana was proud of her German heritage and made it a point to learn to cook sauerbraten, schnitzel, kuechen, and a family favorite, keisly (fried bread dough with honey…the German-ness of which is still debated, but its deliciousness was undeniable, especially according to Aunt Lantina of North Dakota.)

She grew up with three brothers, Kaydon, Denny, and Randy, and one step-sister, Delaine. She was so proud to be tough and to have survived their wrath and and often told stories of their adventures in the neighborhood, including dressing up like royalty and being pulled around in a wagon (mostly by Diana, if her stories are to be believed.) She fiercely loved her siblings and even went so far as to travel to Peru to help her brother Kaydon when he needed her most.

In 1969 she married the love of her life, Jimmy (Jim) Ray Griffith. They celebrated 26 years of marriage before Jim died of pancreatic cancer in 1995. During those years together they enjoyed raising their daughters, Kristi Griffith (who survives with husband James Foster) and Amie Fair (who survives with husband Chris Fair), taking many trips to the lake to camp and water ski with friends and family and supporting their daughters and many other young people in Scott City through 4-H. Their involvement spanned leadership in sewing, cooking, pig and sheep showmanship, white water rafting, and countless monthly meetings.They enjoyed playing cards with their couple friends and had an ongoing bridge and pitch group. One of their greatest passions was supporting Beaver volleyball and basketball, even before their daughters played and cheered. They rarely missed a game, and they often took their niece, Ginny, and nephew, Brook, to the games to cheer and be the ball girl and boy whenever possible, while never missing the opportunity to grab a quarter pounder with cheese for the ride home.

Diana is also survived by her son, Jay Elrod and his wife, Shauna Elrod, whom she reunited with in 1997. While she did not raise Jay, she created a close relationship over the years spending holidays together and taking vacations together in California and Oklahoma where Jay’s family resides. Through that relationship, she gained 4 more grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren and added so much more love to her life.

Diana was a feminist, just like her mom, Alberta. She played catcher for DecMart softball team in the 70’s and qualified for and traveled to play in Nationals in Detroit. She was a badass before women’s sports had become the norm, likely intimidating many a male softball player with her formidable catching skills and unwavering opinions. She encouraged her daughters to play sports or cheer or sing or act or be a mathematician or whatever they wanted to be. She wanted so much to see a woman become the president of the United States. It fueled her will to live, first with the goal of casting her vote and then with the fervent hope of witnessing a woman take office in January. She voted on the first day possible in Colorado and was so sad to learn that she would not live to see a woman become POTUS. However, she continued to encourage her grandkids and great-grandkids to exercise their right to vote and make a difference in this world.

Diana (Grami D and Aunt Dee Dee as she was known by her grands, great-grands, and nieces and nephews) deeply loved her grandkids (Mackenzie and Bailey Fair, Holden Fair, Teresa Crosetto and Emily Goddard, Miranda and Cole Miller, Abigail Elrod and Tate Rosencutter, Oliver Elrod, Tizita Griffith-Jones and AJ Weldheweit, Fanuel Griffith-Jones and Senait Tenaw, Tigist Mekonnen and Ahmed Gurmu, Mia Foster, and Andrew & Alyssa Foster), 14 great-grandkids, 11 nieces and nephews, and multiple great nieces and nephews. One of her grandkids’ favorite stories to tell was about a camping trip to Red Feathers Lake in Colorado. All of the grandkids were riding dirtbikes, so she had to try them too. On one of her first rides, she accidentally hit the throttle instead of the brake while going around a mountain curve and ended up launching the bike off a small cliff. Everyone thought she was a goner, picturing a dramatic tumble down the mountainside. But in true Grami D fashion, she landed the bike with only a few scrapes, bruises, and a bloody lip, shrugged it off, and promptly got back on, after some profanity and yelling, “I’m fine! What are you looking at?”

Over the years, she slowed down a bit and focused more on her cooking (she was famous for her pie crusts, bierocks, dill pickles, chocolate chip cookies, cinnamon rolls, steaks with chimichurri and pesto, and sooo much more), her knitting (If you need a dishcloth, you know who to thank...or blame, depending on your dishcloth drawer situation), and her quilting. She insisted on making a quilt for every baby in the family and was hoping to get a quilt made for every grandchild, niece, and nephew. Her love of math and geometry combined with her creativity and use of jean scraps made some of the most beautiful and unique jean quilts and bags. Her collection of old jeans, denims, jelly rolls, and minky lives on in Amie’s basement...a testament to her resourceful nature and Amie's generous storage capacity. LOL

One of her dreams was to travel to Europe, and in 2016, shortly after her heart attack and prior to her autoimmune diagnosis, she took a three week trip to Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, and France with her daughters, granddaughter, and great-granddaughter. She always referred to it as her trip of a lifetime and loved her ancestral home, Germany, where she enjoyed the schnitzel and steins of kolsch.

During her last years, Diana made it a point to love on her grandkids and great-grandkids ensuring they were all doted on and treated with love and kindness while also being super spoiled with tic-tacs and cookies and special cards or treats. Nothing made her heart happier than seeing her grands and sharing time with her ever-growing and loving family. In her final days of hospice care at home she was cared for by her family and a wonderful CNA, Paula, and nurse, Kristy. She was surrounded by her children, grandchildren, and great-children who gave her the best gift of all….care, love, and respect.

To view a Memorial Video of Diana, please follow this link: https://youtu.be/hI0WVuWx_dY

The family requests donations to Diana’s Memorial Fund in lieu of flowers.