F. Ivan Griffith was born December 21, 1927 in Cushing, Oklahoma to the parents Alene Frances Griffith and Harold Lonsford Griffith. Ivan passed away peacefully in his sleep on the morning of March 2, 2026. Ivan grew up during the depression where his family moved to various towns in both Oklahoma and Arkansas. As a youngster, Ivan and his older brother Dale were tasked with walking about a half mile to a well to pump water and bring it back to the family house - times were tough.

Ivan went to Will Rogers High School in Tulsa, OK where he played football and was fairly involved in various high school activities. He also had a part time job as a delivery boy for Crown Drug. Upon graduation in May 1945, he worked as a draftsman for a local gas and oil supplier. That job was cut short by a draft notice from the US Army. Ivan had zero interest in the Army, so he immediately joined the US Navy. Ivan went to boot camp in San Diego and upon completion, they were loaded onto small ships and headed west, destination unknown. On their voyage to the unknown, there were a number of concerns of tidal waves due to the US testing various new nuclear bombs in the Pacific. Luckily, they did not experience any and he eventually was stationed in Tsing Tao, China, where he was in charge of their stock room. His service there was cut short a little less than two years due to the communist takeover. He had fond memories of playing football there with his Navy buddies. During his service in China, he was able to save a little money, which was a little hard as he earned $50, $75 and eventually $90 per month. Upon his return to the US, Ivan could see that his hard-earned money was slowly draining from his account and decided that he wanted something to show for his service in China. So, he was interested in the lake that was recently developed in northeast OK, Grand Lake of the Cherokees. There he purchased a lot on the main part of the lake (note: a lot of the roads to Grand Lake were dirt at that time).

Ivan returned to the US where he qualified for the GI Bill, and pursued his lifetime dream of an Architectural Degree. He graduated Oklahoma A&M (now Okla State Univ) in 1953, and he remained an avid OSU fan for life. He started a job with Mid-Continent Petroleum Company. He wasn't satisfied with designing various gas stations that were increasingly popular in the '50s, so he took a job with Donald Honn as an Architect designing mid-century modern houses in the famed Lortondale neighborhood (now once again a popular neighborhood in Tulsa). The move to designing houses was a step in the right professional direction for Ivan, but he had dreams of designing commercial buildings.

He left this job for a really great opportunity with Murray, Jones and Murray (MJM) where he enjoyed an extremely rewarding career spanning several decades. MJM was selected as the architectural firm to design the new Tulsa International Airport. What a great opportunity for a young architect and a great launching point for his career that was to follow.

Over the course of his career, he literally did design work on hundreds of buildings. In a Tulsa World article featuring Ivan, he was asked which one was his favorite. His response was along the lines of choosing your favorite child - so, he let this one pass. Ivan had an impeccable memory being able to recall many details and challenges experienced over the years. For more information on his professional career, there is another handout that details this (available at the funeral).

Being an architect and having the drive to "do it yourself", Ivan started digging the foundation and laying concrete blocks to fulfill his dream of a cabin on the lake. It is amazing that he was busy doing architectural work during the week (and many times after work at home), and building the cabin at the lake, also while raising a family of five. As you can imagine, the cabin building spanned many years and was done as they could afford it - going into debt was never an option. Ivan was so very proud of the lake place and he and Shirley spent many weekends up there sitting on the deck feeding the birds and enjoying the fresh air and beauty. It is truly a peaceful place where one can relax and enjoy what god has given all of us.

In the mid '60s, Ivan got the itch to have a boat so that the family could get out on the lake and experience it. When purchasing the boat, the salesman gave Ivan some public ice skating passes. The family was hooked and they had a great time, and a year later Ivan's sons were on youth hockey teams that were at their infancy. Ivan volunteered his time to help with organizing various things for the youth program and even took a spin at being an assistant coach.

Ivan had few foes if any, and was liked by all as he was fair and honest without any type of a hidden agenda. He was honestly willing to help anyone. Back in the late '60s/early '70s, after dinner one night Ivan took the family out to a Warren Professional building that was under construction to look at something that was accomplished during the day. On leaving, Ivan saw a laborer that was walking away from the job. He stopped and found out that he was walking back home to north Tulsa - without any hesitation, Ivan stopped the car so he could get in and we headed north. To a small child, this was the kind of man that was an excellent role model.

Shirley and Ivan were married on August 29, 1952 and were married for 67 years. Shirley passed in February 2020. Ivan is survived by son Scot and his two daughters, Kelli and Kerri and son Neil and his two sons Austin and Jack, and daughter Carol. Carol deserves a huge acknowledgment as she spent endless hours over the past decade caring for both Shirley and Ivan in some capacity as they aged - Ivan was extremely grateful for her love and devotion, and she is one of the reasons he was able to reach the tender age of 98.

Graveside service with military honors, 11:30 a.m., Saturday, March 7, 2026 at Memorial Park Cemetery, 5111 S. Memorial Drive.