Willena ("Willie") Kay Griffith, 91, of Springfield, Missouri passed away Monday, February 26, 2024.

Willena is survived by her sons, Paul Griffith of Ozark, Missouri and Ken (Ann) Griffith of Dallas, Texas; four granddaughters, Kelly Griffith of Ozark, Missouri, Stacy (Christopher) Johnstonbaugh of Piedmont, Oklahoma, Amy (Greg) Haugen of Arlington, Texas, and Kathy (Brad) Harmon of Iowa Park, Texas; and eight great-grandchildren, Emelia, Zacary, and Patrick Johnstonbaugh, Karalyn, Erica, and Jack Haugen, Ryan (Caleb) Baker and Haley Sisco; and her brother David (Gena) Austin.

Willie was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 56 years, Jesse Thomas Griffith; her parents, Carroll and Edith Austin; and her brother and sister-in-law, Orin and Betty Austin.

Willena was born in Cairo, Missouri on April 22, 1932.  Through a series of love letters and one special picture, Willena fell in love with Jesse and married him on September 9, 1951.  She loved being a military wife for the time that Jesse spent in the United States Air Force and she spent the rest of life praying for and supporting our troops faithfully.  She worked for a number of banks during her career until she retired from Nation's Bank, now Bank of America, in the late 1990's.

In 1999, Willena and Jesse moved to Springfield, Missouri, which had always been a dream of hers.  While there, she did some part time work for Silver Dollar City and Blue Green @ Bass Pro Shops.  Her and Jesse loved going to Silver Dollar City and to the shows and attractions in Branson.  They also joined Second Baptist Church and they were both faithful servants there for the remainder of their lives.

Willena loved her family, she loved her friends, but most of all she loved her Jesus.  She also had a special place in her heart for dogs and she had many throughout her lifetime.  She was an amazing cook and well known for a number of dishes.  Among those are her roast, oven fried chicken, macaroni & cheese, homemade cinnamon rolls with chocolate icing, and hosting fondu nights.  Her granddaughters also remember stealing the Peanut M&M's and chocolate stars from her candy dishes when they thought their parents weren't looking.  However, no matter how wonderful all of these were, in Willena's mind, nothing compared to her love of chocolate.

Visitation will be held Saturday, March 2, 2024, from 1:30 pm to 4:00 pm at Gorman-Scharpf Funeral Home. Funeral Service will follow at 4:00 pm in the funeral home. Graveside Service will be at 11:00 am, Monday, March 4, 2024 at Missouri Veterans Cemetery.