George E. Griggs, Jr., Katonah Resident and Beloved Member of Katonah Fire Department

The following obituary was submitted by the family of George Griggs:

George E. Griggs, Jr. of Katonah, NY died Sunday, January 11, 2015 at Northern Westchester Hospital. Vera, his wife of 65 years, predeceased him in 2013. He is survived by his two sons, George E. Griggs, III of Old Lyme, CT and Peter J. Griggs of Katonah; his daughter Christine Griggs Narcisse of Southborough, MA; and four grandchildren Anna, Ian and Daisy Griggs and Elizabeth Narcisse.

Born in New York City in 1922 to George and Anne Griggs, he graduated from Pelham High School in Westchester County. He attended Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, graduating in three years in 1944. He joined his father in the insurance business, owning and operating George Eastman Griggs Insurance. The business was founded in Manhattan in 1945 and later moved to North Salem, where he continued to work daily until his recent decline in health.

George and Vera Griggs moved from Brooklyn to Katonah in 1955 and quickly became active in community life. George joined the Katonah Fire Department in 1956, and was a member for 59 years. He held numerous positions within the Department, including President, and served as Secretary for more than thirty years. He took particular delight in his role as Fundraising Chairman, and since 1957 helped raised more than a million dollars for the Department.

He also served for 32 years as Secretary to the Board of Fire Commissioners of the Katonah Fire District.
As President and Treasurer of the Katonah Village Improvement Society, he was closely involved with the expansion of the Library in 1970. He served on the Board of Trustees and as chairman of the Katonah Village Library and the Katonah United Methodist Church. He was an avid tennis player, and served on the Town of Bedford Recreation and Parks Advisory Board. He spearheaded the creation of the Vreeland Memorial Fund for a paddle tennis facility at John Jay High School in memory of his dear friend Neil Vreeland.

He was also very involved in alumni affairs of Bowdoin College, serving on the Alumni Counsel and the Bowdoin Alumni Club of New York. His entire family developed a love affair with the coast of Maine, and have maintained a cottage on Casco Bay for many years.

In 2011, the Town Board of Bedford voted to proclaim the date January 10, 2012 in his honor, publicly recognizing his many years of community service. A memorial service will be held on Monday January 19, 2015 at 11 a.m. at the Katonah United Methodist Church.