Griffith, Andrew "Andy" Kirk Obituary

Griffith, Andrew "Andy" Kirk attended Elk Grove High School in Elk Grove, CA. View the obituary, post a memory, or share a photo about Griffith, Andrew "andy" Kirk.

Graduation Year	Class of 1976
Date of Passing	Dec 20, 2017
About	Andy Griffin was born on September 7, 1957 in Tulsa, Oklahoma to Melvin and Linda (Leweling) Griffin. He passed away on December 20, 2016 at the age of 59, after a long battle with liver disease. Andy graduated from Elk Grove High School in 1976. He was very active in high school rodeo, and there he met his future wife, Carol Center. They dated for 4 years before getting married on February 4, 1979 at Point Pleasant United Methodist Church. In August of 1980, they welcomed their first son, Nicholas Griffin. In August of 1984, their second son, Richard Griffin was born. Andy was always a hard worker. The Griffin family lived and worked on a large cattle ranch in Wilton, California for the Pelican family. Andy would work before and after school to help his father. Shortly after graduating from high school, he obtained a commercial driver's license and began hauling hay for Leon Schultz. In 1979, Andy got a job driving for Greg Hardesty, where he would haul hay for 10 years. He decided in 1989 to start his own business for buying/hauling hay and trucking. He purchased his first truck and A.K. Griffin Trucking was born. Andy moved to Tulare in the summer of 1990. He stayed in the local Motel 6, while hauling for Roethlisberger Hay. At the end of summer Carol, Nick, and Richard moved down and the family purchased a home. In the years to follow, Andy operated a hay squeeze and bought and sold hay for Manuel Machado. He established a lot of business relationships along the way, including helping establish another trucking company in Bakersfield with Gary and Lana Grace. He spent the last of his working years doing what he loved and knew best. Andy enjoyed spending time with friends and family. He often could be found at local Tulare restaurants. He enjoyed vacationing with friends, camping, cooking, and socializing. He loved life and had a gift for making people laugh. His greatest joy came from his family, particularly his eldest grandson, Evan. Taking Evan to football practice, helping him with homework and sharing secret jokes were among Andy's cherished memories. Andy leaves behind his former wife of 29 years, Carol Griffin with finance Mike Hefftner; son Nick Griffin, his wife Leslie and their children Keira, Emmett; son Richard Griffin with his son Evan and mother Chasity Jones, all of Tulare, California. He also leaves behind his mother Linda Lewelling of Carmichael, California; his brother John Griffin of Federal Way, Washington; his sister Cindy Griffin of Tulare, California and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, and countless friends. A celebration of life and repass, including dinner was held on January 7, 2017, 3:30 pm, at Tulare First Baptist Church, located at 469 N Cherry Street in Tulare. A private burial will be held at a later date. Information from the Visalia Times-Delta & Tulare Advance-Register on December 29, 2016.