Gary Durrell Griswold, a great husband, father and talented artist, passed away May 10, 2024, after a valiant battle with several illnesses and injuries. He was 81.
The date was marked by a rare appearance of the Northern Lights over the Puget Sound region leaving some who knew him wondering if he was leaving us one final painting in the sky.
Gary was born on January 9, 1943, in Tacoma to Blois “Duke” Meriam and Helen (Southwell).
Gary was adopted by his stepfather Larry Griswold after his parents’ divorce. He was also close with his grandparents George (Papa) and Kina Southwell.
Gary attended schools in Washington, Virginia and California. Memories of his school years included basketball shorts too big for his skinny frame, the camaraderie of his teen club and playing clarinet, first chair, in school band.
Gary’s dear uncle Roy and Aunt Ruth Stalcup owned a marina in Olympia where Gary worked senior year. This may have been where his love of boating and water began.
After graduation, Gary joined the Air Force. He was assigned to the base in Mountain Home, Idaho. He was recognized by his commanding officers for his “artistic ingenuity” in producing charts and graphs for military and congressional briefings.
Gary spent about a decade in Los Angeles studying art and working as an illustrator and marketing representative. He enjoyed trips to the nearby deserts and ghost towns and lived on his sailboat in Marina del Rey.
In 1975, he returned to Seattle working in office furniture sales and real estate. His interest in art never waned, and he was one of the creators of the concept of an artist village in Seattle’s Pioneer Square. During this time he reunited with his birth father.
Gary was an avid fisherman and boating enthusiast. He spent many years single-handedly restoring classic wooden 1940 speedboats he’d take out on the water.
Gary also loved model ships. He designed, built, and restored the small craft for personal owners and museums. He was known to be one of the best model shipwrights in the country. His interest also extended to cars and aircraft. He made hundreds of balsa airplanes which flew in a perpetual battle on the ceiling of his studio.
After retirement, Gary moved to Port Hadlock, a home he considered paradise. He became involved in antiques and worked as a professional artist and watercolor instructor. He specialized in seascapes but also captured images of ghost towns, Old Faithful, and the ruins of Pompeii on family adventures. Gary was a member and volunteer in a number of art societies, including the Northwest Water Color Society, and PRIMA. He also served as art director at the Port Townsend Aero Museum. He was respected as one of the finer water color artists in the pacific northwest.
Gary was a creative man of many passions. He became a 10-handicap golfer, enjoyed boating and fishing, and cruising in his collectible Jaguars. He appreciated nature and the pacific northwest coast.
Gary enjoyed sharing his interests with others, especially his four grandsons who benefited from art projects or model kits he’d bring over almost every visit.
Gary was a uniquely talented, patriotic, kind, gentle, and generous person. He had a wonderful dry sense of humor and was a delightful companion to his wife, Mary Pat. He was a totally dedicated loving son, husband, brother and perhaps especially father to his daughter, Jamie, and grandfather to his four grandsons. His family hopes to carry with them his unique gentleness of spirit and the sweet love and caring he shared with them.
Gary is survived by his wife, Mary Pat Griswold; daughter, Jamie Marie Skorheim and son-in-law Jake Skorheim and four grandsons. Also surviving, his brother Steve (Debi) Merriam, his sisters: Cammy Merriam, Claire Merriam, and Laura Merriam, and sisters-in-laws, and cousins Suzanne Tiddy, and Marnie Tiddy, cousins Cheryl Jacobson and Blair Stalcup, as well as several nieces and nephews.
Friends and family may see full obituary at: https://www.bradley-kosec.com/obituaries/gary-durell-griswold
