Maddie Griffiths Memorial Award

Maddie's Story

Madalyn Faye Griffiths, known to most as Maddie, entered and exited the world unexpectedly, but in her all too brief time with us, she shined brightly and beautifully. 

A surprise addition, Maddie was born to Kimberly and Rodger Griffiths on May 28, 1999, joining three older sisters: Melissa, Meghann and Michele, at the time 13, 11 and 5 respectively. All with M names and all with seven letters, it would become a normal occurrence to hear all four names rattled off in various orders before landing on the intended, possibly for some sort of reprimand. 

Her birth was early and also a bit unexpected — she was setting a certain standard early — and she was a tiny thing, just 5 lbs. 1 oz. The Shakespearean quote  “Though she be but little, she is fierce” could have been written about her, as would be backed up by abundant evidence throughout her life. 

Maddie was your classic youngest child: doted on, adored and often getting away with some mischief that her older siblings would claim they’d never have gotten away with. She was a little late to walk because she had only to fuss and someone would pick her up or get her what she wanted, but after that, she wanted nothing but to grow up and catch up with her big sisters. 

Before she could have her own big adventures, she would make them up, like her imaginary boyfriend, Kelson, who was raised by wolves after his family was killed in a forest fire. 

As soon as she was old enough, she was more than ready to take on anything Michele was doing first. She would tag along with Michele while she cared for her sheep and started doing PeeWee shows the moment she was of age. Maddie was appalled that everyone got a prize and that she wasn’t placed like the bigger kids and didn’t get feedback from the judge on how to improve. 

Maddie stuck with it and was a formidable competitor in 4-H, FFA, and open class, winning awards for her livestock, showmanship, livestock judging and even public speaking. She earned the highest honor bestowed by the FFA, the American Degree, earned only by the top one percent of all FFA members. Maddie was a hard worker, but is remembered just as well for generously sharing her knowledge and making moments outside the ring full of fun. Even after she stopped competing herself, she coached kids for livestock showmanship and taught livestock care and feeding.

Her pursuit of a college degree in the field of agriculture was interrupted by the pandemic, which allowed her a time of unstructured exploration and personal growth. She worked with animals and people, she made time for fun and adventure and she devoted time to her own betterment. She filled her time and made the most of each and every moment. 

Her final adventure was road-tripping to Texas, fulfilling a dream of swimming in the warm gulf waters.

She was killed in a car accident on June 18, 2022, outside of Tucson, Arizona.

It’s impossible to find sense in a life cut too short, but we can take some solace in knowing her final days were spent experiencing life fully and joyfully. 

There was so much ahead of her in life. She was known to all as loyal, quirky, dedicated, vibrant, passionate and perhaps a little dramatic. She was all in, never half-assed — she was a whole-ass kind of girl and everyone had high expectations for her to have a whole-ass kind of life. 

We honor Maddie as we believe she would have liked to be honored, by letting her shine bright in our hearts and minds, by celebrating her impact on us and committing to living whole-ass, joyful, generous lives.

Remembering Maddie