Ridgefield woman who died on vacation to Wyoming ‘always found the good in everything," family says

RIDGEFIELD – Throughout more than two decades as a couple, Joe Griffin remembers his wife Sandra "Sandy" Griffin, who died Aug. 13 while on a family vacation in Wyoming , for her love of life and her family.

"She always found the good in everything," said Joe Griffin of Ridgefield. "She always found a reason to smile and always found something to celebrate, big or small. Sandy was a woman focused on her family and community, and the type of impact that she had has been noticed by the incredible outreach from not just locally but everyone that she touched."

Sandy Griffin died Aug. 13 at the age of 51 during a family vacation in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, according to her obituary. She is survived by her husband and their three children, among other family members, her obituary states.

Joe Griffin said their family was finishing a week-long dream vacation in Wyoming to celebrate his parents' 80th birthday at the time of his wife's death.

"We were on a 15-person family reunion, and she had a medical emergency on the last evening," he said.

Joe Griffin said he first met his wife through a "chance acquaintance" while they were out with a group of friends in Bryant Park in New York City. The park would later become the site where they got engaged, he said.

Recalling his first impression of his future wife, Joe Griffin said she was "a blonde knockout," adding, "I definitely wanted an opportunity to meet and speak with her, and it worked out that we were able to that night."

Joe Griffin said he was attracted to Sandy Griffin's love for life as well as her "infectious smile," her selflessness and her ability to give "the most out of every day." Out of their 20 years together, he said they were married for 18 years and raised three children together.

Prior to their marriage, Joe Griffin said his wife spent a decade in the fashion industry in New York City on the "business and operation side," where she worked with designers to bring their designs to life. He said she later gave up her career to focus on raising a family, and following the birth of their third child, they realized they "needed to find a community to make our own."

In the Ridgefield community, Sandy Griffin was involved in the PTA at both Veterans Park Elementary School and East Ridge Middle School and volunteered with a variety of local groups, including Soccer Club of Ridgefield, Ridgefield Basketball Association, Ridgefield Little League Baseball, the Ridgefield Baseball Booster Club and Kindness Over Muscular Dystrophy, her obituary said.

She also spent five years directing the annual Spring Variety Show at Veterans Park Elementary School, where she celebrated her final production this past May, according to her obituary. Joe Griffin said his wife's work with the Spring Variety Show was what she most known for, and the show became "a fixture for everyone in town."

Beyond her involvement in the Ridgefield community, Joe Griffin said his wife loved walking and being in the sunshine as well as spending time at the beach and ocean. He said many of their family vacations involved going to the beach, including trips to the Bahamas, Bermuda and Turks and Caicos and their honeymoon in South Africa.

Joe Griffin said the number of people who attended his wife's wake and funeral "speaks volumes to the person she was."

"She wasn't known for changing the world except for loving her family," he said. "That was her motto – 'If you want to change the world, go home and love your family' – and I think she did that."

Correction: This story has been updated to reflect Sandy Griffin died on Aug. 13.