Margaret Hope (Peg) Grigsby Griffith, age 95, died September 4, 2020 at Primrose Retirement Center, where she had lived since 2016. Peg was born on June 9, 1925 in Rossburg, Ohio to the late Opal Ault Campbell Hodges and Edwin Ross Grigsby. She married C. Eugene Griffith in July of 1945, who preceded her in death.

Peg was a 1943 graduate of Lima South High School where she was active in the choral program. She attended Ohio Wesleyan University and Bowling Green State University where she was a member of the Treble Clef choir and performed as a tour soloist. Peg was an active member of Trinity United Methodist Church. She was a member of and soloist with the Chancel Choir for over 45 years, member of the United Methodist Women’s study circle, served on the board of directors, and as secretary to the board of trustees. She sang with the Lima Civic Chorus, was a founding officer and singer with the Choralis Musica of Lima, member of the Lima Madrigal Singers, and sang in numerous musical productions of the Lima Symphony Orchestra. Peg started her thirty-year career with the City of Lima in 1963 as the secretary to the Director of Public Works. In 1969, she was appointed as Clerk to the City Council and Secretary to the Mayor and when the jobs were separated, assumed the role of Clerk to the City Council. While City Clerk, she also served on the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, the Human Relations Commission, the Records Commission, and as Secretary to the Civil Service Board. She was a board member and officer of the Ohio Municipal Clerk’s Association, eventually serving as the Association’s president. She joined the International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC) in 1967 and upon completing IIMC advanced education programs at Ohio State University, Kent State University, and Syracuse University, was the first in Ohio to receive the IIMC Certified Municipal Clerk designation and the first Ohio member of the IIMC Academy for Advanced Education. Peg was elected to the IIMC Board of Directors in 1979 and held all successive Vice President positions until being elected as President of the 10,000-member organization in 1987. This position afforded her the opportunity to preside over 24 state and regional conferences as well
as visits to England, The Netherlands, and Nova Scotia. It also earned her the Liberty Bell Award from the Lima Bar Association. Upon her retirement as Clerk to the Council, she was recognized as an honorary lifetime member of the Ohio Municipal Clerk’s Association and the IIIMC.

In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by a daughter, Linda Griffith Bolling Fung, sisters Ruth Grigsby Smith and Helen Grigsby Flournoy, great-grandson Drew Dulebohn, and her longtime feline companion, Suzie.

Survivors include daughter, Kimberly Griffith Smith of Kalkara, Malta and her husband Richard, brother Norman Grigsby of Elida, Ohio and his wife Mary, grandchildren Monica Dulebohn, Pat Bolling Jr., and Loretta Bolling-Tellez and her husband Alex, great-grandchildren Mitch, Zach, Emily, and Karly.

The family would like to express its appreciation to the staff at Primrose Retirement Community and to the caregivers from Home Instead for their compassionate assistance during the final days of Peg’s life, with a warm thank you to Deb and Jessica.

A visitation will take place on Saturday, September 19, 2020, from 2:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m. at the Chiles-Laman Funeral Homes Shawnee Chapel with a memorial service to follow at 3:00 pm.

Burial will take place on Sunday, September 20, 2020 at 1:30 p.m. at Pike Run Cemetery in Gomer.

Please note that masks and social distancing are required while at the funeral home.

To honor Peg’s love of music and of her church, in lieu of memorial gifts, donations can be
made to the Music Ministry of Trinity United Methodist Church, Lima, Ohio.

Condolences may be expressed to the family at www.chiles-lamanfh.com.