Jillian Elaine Griffith

With profound sadness, we announce the sudden and untimely passing of Jillian Elaine Griffith, 42, on March 10, 2025. Born on October 15, 1982 in Fort Myers, Florida, to Debra Ann Griffith and John David Griffith, Jill was a bright, inquisitive individual whose love of science and the natural world was evident from an early age. As a child, she spent countless hours at the Calusa Nature Center, even courageously working with rattlesnakes for a science fair project. Her exceptional intelligence was recognized early, earning her induction into Mensa, a testament to her remarkable mind.

Jill had a deep and abiding love for animals, surrounding herself with a diverse menagerie over the years, including her cherished Shih Tzu, Callie—affectionately nicknamed "Poopy"—her beloved cat, Mama Cat, two Rhodesian Ridgebacks, several birds, an iguana, chickens, ants, hermit crabs, and hundreds of fish and coral. She found joy and companionship in all creatures.

Beyond her intellectual gifts, Jill was a talented artist and poet. She expressed herself through various artistic media, including collage, drawing, and jewelry-making, and often used her poetry to comfort friends and share her emotions. Her creativity was matched only by her generosity—Jill had a kind and giving heart, always offering a helping hand, a thoughtful word, or a small treasure she had found or created, simply to bring joy to those she loved.

Jill also faced immense challenges. She battled addiction for many years, fighting hard for sobriety. Though she experienced periods of success, in the end, the disease proved relentless. Her family chooses not to hide this struggle but to speak openly in hopes of reducing stigma and fostering greater understanding of addiction as a disease—one that requires compassion, support, and societal change.

Jill is deeply missed by her father, John Griffith, her siblings, Beverley Griffith-Precoda (Paul Precoda), Jessica Griffith, John “David” Griffith, and Christine Rocks (Lance Rocks), several nieces and nephews, aunts, uncles, and countless friends and loved ones. She was preceded in death adjacent to her mother, Debra Griffith in 2014. Jillian will be laid to rest in Oakland Cemetery in DeLand Florida, adjacent her mother and among generations of family who have gone before her.

The services for Jillian will be as follows: A casual Memorial Gathering will be held in LaBelle, Florida on Saturday, March 22, 2025 at 3:00 PM at The American Legion Post 130 (699 W Hickpochee Ave, LaBelle, FL 33935). A Memorial Service will be held on Sunday, March 23, 2025 at 3:00 PM at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fort Myers (13411 Shire Lane, Fort Myers, FL 33912).

A Visitation will take place on Tuesday, March 25, 2025 at 12:00 PM at Lankford Funeral Home (220 E. New York Ave. DeLand, FL 32724) followed by a Funeral Service at 1:00 PM. She will be laid to rest following at Oakdale Cemetery (800 N Clara, DeLand, FL 32720) following the Funeral Service.

Though her time with us was too short, Jill’s intelligence, kindness, and artistic spirit will live on in the hearts of all who knew and loved her.