Gary Griffeth

Our Father, George Garald “Gary” Griffeth, died on April 28, 2025. He was surrounded by all eight of his children and passed peacefully at his home in the Burton area of Rexburg, Idaho.

Gary was born in Logan, Utah, on June 12, 1938, to Melvin Pratt Griffeth and Lois Sylvia Daines. He was raised in the Preston, Idaho, area, where his family farmed and his dad taught school. He graduated from Preston High School in 1956 and remained close to his classmates throughout his life.

Gary received a full-ride scholarship to run track for BYU and graduated in 1960. He had a very successful track career at BYU, traveling all over the country and to Europe. He was awarded the BYU Athlete of the Year in 1960. Gary loved to tell stories and remembered every detail of every track meet, though far more often, he would tell the story of seeing a beautiful redhead coming out of the Joseph Smith building, and that changed everything.

Gary and Carol were married in the Logan, Utah Temple on September 22, 1959. After graduating from BYU, the couple headed to California, where Gary attended Physical Therapy school at Los Angeles Children’s Hospital. They lived and worked in the area, and Gary attended UCLA, where he received a master’s degree in public health.

The couple with their first three children moved to Rexburg, Idaho, in the fall of 1967, where Gary began teaching at Ricks College. Rexburg has been their home since. While in Rexburg, five more children joined the family. Gary and Carol were active in the Church of Jesus Christ, and Gary served as a counselor in the Ricks College 5th Ward under Bishop Harold Nielson. He was then called to be Bishop of that student ward and made lifelong friendships with the members of that bishopric and the students. Several who keep in contact to this day.

Gary established the Health Science department at Ricks College and taught until 2000. He was the advisor of pre–Physical, Occupational, and Respiratory therapy students. He initiated the adaptive PE program so students with physical disabilities could fulfill their PE requirements. He was instrumental in hundreds of students’ acceptance into professional programs throughout the country.

In 1968, Gary launched the first Physical Therapy practice in Rexburg. Contracting with Madison Memorial Hospital, his first office was in the basement of the original brick hospital at the east end of Main Street. He bought what equipment he could, including an ultrasound machine, a diathermy unit, and a whirlpool, and began seeing patients in the evenings after a full day of teaching. Growing up, we thought everyone had dinner at 8:00 pm.

Gary served as President of the Idaho Physical Therapy Association on the State Board of Medicine. He contracted Physical Therapy services in Ashton, Butte, and with multiple Home Health agencies and skilled nursing facilities. Gary treated every patient like it was his honor to help them and gave his best to each of the thousands of patients he treated.

Gary loved the outdoors and spent countless hours hunting and on horse rides with his brother Melvin and any who wanted to ride with them. As the years passed, brothers Lorenzo, Bill, and Dennis, all the children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and many young men church groups remember these rides. There was always plenty of licorice and usually a stop because “There is never a bad time for ice cream”.

The family moved to Hibbard in 1970, and Gary and Carol built their first home in 1971-1972. They did most of the work themselves, with help from many friends and Ricks College colleagues. They loved the Hibbard ward and the lifelong friends they made there. But the state put Highway 20 through the corner of their 40 acres, and Gary was never settled after that.

In 1996, the family moved to a beautiful property in Burton on the Texas Slough. They built a home that Carol designed, creating a haven for family and friends.

Gary was devoted to his Heavenly Father. He loved the Book of Mormon and often taught from those well-worn pages. He served in every call and calling he was asked, but his true character was shown in the way he cared for our mother Carol, taking care of her every need for the last several years of her life.

Gary was preceded in death by his wife Carol Lynne Garner Griffeth, his parents Melvin Pratt and Lois Sylvia Daines Griffeth, a brother Lorenzo Pratt Griffeth, an infant son, Gary Jr, and an infant grandson, Duane Siddoway Jr.

Gary is survived by his siblings, Shirlene Griffeth Hoopes, Melvin Griffeth (Rama), (Sherlauna Griffeth Beckstead), Bill Griffeth (Marilyn), Dennis Griffeth (Rosalie), and Lois Jean Spencer (Scott).

His children; Alicia Siddoway (Duane) of Rigby, Diane Poole (Randy) of Blackfoot, Russell Griffeth (Becky) of Idaho Falls, Chad Griffeth (Patrea) of Heber City, Utah, Matthew Griffeth (Natacia) of Rexburg, Katie Taylor (Mike) of Smithfield, Utah, Jared Griffeth (Laura) of Rigby, and Dallin Griffeth (Justin Howell) of Salt Lake City, Utah; 30 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren with two more nearly due.

Funeral Services will be held on Friday, May 9, 2025, at 11:00 am at the Rexburg Stake Center, 845 W. 7th South, Rexburg, Idaho. Friends may call at Flamm Funeral Home, 61 N. 1st E., Rexburg, Idaho, from 5:30-7:00 pm on Thursday, May 8, 2025, or at the Stake Center on Friday, May 9th from 9:30-10:30. Interment will be at the Burton Cemetery.