Bill Griffing

Bill Griffing went to heaven on Sunday, October 16, 2022.  He was born November 16, 1935 to Donald and Nellie (McCabe) Griffing in Council Grove, KS.  

Bill was an entrepreneur, owner & operator of Bill Griffing Painting & Decorating, rancher/farmer, electrician, draftsman, builder, sheet metal worker, welder, woodworker and fisherman. He was the youngest of two sons, and moved all around Kansas with his mother, a teacher, and father, a civil engineer, until his father took a job at Beechcraft in Wichita. His brother Don served in the military. Bill attended Jefferson Elementary School, Robinson Junior High, East High School, and Andover High School, where he met the love of his life, Shirley Bohannan. He played center on the Andover basketball team  and Shirley was a cheerleader. Bill attended Friends University for a year until he married Shirley in 1956. They had three daughters, Cindy, Ginger and Nancy. To support his family, Bill went to work as a draftsman and eventually worked all over Kansas and Oklahoma  doing sheet metal work for the Titan Missile Projects. He started his paint contracting business shortly afterwards.

Bill and Shirley decided they wanted to raise their girls in a country home, so they bought some ranch property near Rose Hill, Kansas. He built their home himself, brick by brick, and did all the plumbing, electrical, and finish work. Bill valued hard work. He chopped wood, mowed, drove the tractor, built things in his wood shop  and did all the maintenance work on the ranch. They had cattle, horses and various other animals. Bill also served on the Rose Hill School Board for many years.

Bill was an avid fisherman and enjoyed the sport whenever possible. He and Shirley bought some property on Table Rock Lake in Missouri and built a lake house so he could enjoy this hobby and his family could enjoy the lake life.
They loved hosting family & friends, kids, grandkids and great grandkids. Bill loved teaching the grandkids how to fish and how to drive a boat.

Bill was also a huge sports fan. KU basketball and the Kansas City Chiefs were two of his favorites. He also attended many, many games & meets of all sports to support his family members who were playing.

Bill was quick witted and always had a funny story or a joke to share. He was a problem solver and could figure out a solution to fix anything. He was a loving father, grandfather and great grandfather, always willing to impart his wisdom and knowledge to future generations. He was greatly loved and will be missed by so many who knew and loved him.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 56 years, Shirley Griffing; daughter, Nancy Griffing; and brother, Don Griffing.

Bill is survived by his daughters, Cindy (Bryan) Hanning and Ginger Hampton; grandchildren, Griff (Michelle) Hanning, Alyssa (Dan) De Jong, Brock (Sarah) Hampton, Conner (Lydia) Hampton, Cooper (Blair) Hanning, Nick (Gabi) Hampton, Taylor Norris, Rachel (Dylan) Hampton, Cameron (Dylan) Hronek, and Kiley Moose; 21 great-grandchildren; sister-in-law, Jody Griffing; and numerous nieces and nephews. 

Memorial Service: 9 am, Saturday, October 22, 2022 at Heartland Community Church, 457 S. Woodlawn Blvd., Wichita, KS 67218.