Rhonda M. Griffin

Born May 3, 1985; Rhonda Michelle Griffin (nee. Miller), age 36, brought a unique all-encompassing feeling of joy, love, acceptance, and sunshine to the lives of all who loved her. Our world will forever be darker without her smile.

Rhonda endured a lifelong battle with Crohn’s Disease, but never considered herself “sick” or a victim. She regularly stated that, “Crohn’s doesn’t stop me from doing anything I want to do, I just have to stop for more bathroom breaks along the way.” In the face of overwhelming health challenges, her courage, grace, poise, and optimism were unwavering. On November 24, 2004, Rhonda received the gift of life in the form of an emergent liver transplant after a brief bout with an autoimmune disease. We are all so fortunate and grateful for her donor, her ‘new’ liver, and the longer, beautiful life it afforded her. Rhonda never took her second chance for granted, and lived each day to the fullest in honor of her hero donor. When her liver-related autoimmune disease suddenly returned in January 2013, Rhonda met the recurrence and probability of a second transplant head-on. She was gracious enough to include not only her family, but her husband’s family, and many friends and loved ones in her battle with thoughtful explanations and reflections on her CaringBridge blog.

Rhonda led a wonderful life. She learned how to cross stitch from her favorite stitching partner, her Mom, at the age of 8. This led to a lifelong passion of cross stitching. She was fortunate to meet wonderful friends throughout the country through their shared hobby. In particular, she very much enjoyed the company of her local ‘Stitching Chicks’ and the group of wonderful women she met through Fancy Works in Bloomington, IN. Rhonda was a 2003 graduate of Ursuline Academy in Cincinnati, where she met several lifelong friends and acquaintances. She attended Case Western Reserve University; but transferred to, and graduated from, Xavier University following her transplant. Both university communities and friends held special places in her heart.

She had a meaningful and fulfilling career in the event planning world. She was proud of the reputation she built amongst her peers, and thoroughly enjoyed getting to know different people, and all of the aspects involved in marketing, photographing, and planning an event from a small wedding to the Dalai Lama’s Cincinnati visit. She relished spending time with family and friends, and enjoyed travelling around the United States. Rhonda has visited over 60 National Parks, Memorials, and Monuments. When she and Corey moved to the rural community of Hanover Township, Rhonda spent much of her time outside, basking in the sunshine while walking, gardening, and working around the yard. She never took a sunrise or sunset for granted. Her final wish for everyone is to take time to slow down, and enjoy the small things in life because they end up being the big things.

Rhonda leaves behind to mourn her loss, her beloved husband of nearly 10 years, Corey; her incredible parents and best friends, Bruce and Shelley (Jones) Miller; and 2 cherished poodle furbabies: Crosley Griffin and Carmel Miller of Hanover Township, OH. Her brother, Ben; his wife, Liz; and their son, Brecken of Lake Linden, MI. Corey’s parents, Brien and Patricia (Trierweiler) Griffin; her ‘adopted’ grandparents-in-laws, Donald and Rita (Schutte) Griffin. Her sisters-in-law; and Cheryl (Sean) Trimpe, and their children, Elijah, Evelyn, and Estelle; and Laura (Matthew) DeVan all of Cincinnati, OH. Several very close friends, aunts, uncles, cousins, and godchildren will also miss her terribly. She was preceded in death and welcomed into Heaven with open arms by her grandparents Ronald and Evelyn (Mick) Jones; Robert and Betty (Kozisek) Miller; her uncle, Daniel Hileman; Helen Trierweiler (‘Granny’) and several great aunts and uncles.

Rhonda always said, “Life’s too short to wear white socks!” So, she and her family encourage and welcomes everyone to attend her funeral and celebration of life in their best, most colorful socks. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America (6797 N. High Street, Suite 119, Worthington, OH  43085) or LifeCenter (615 Elsinore Place, #400; Cincinnati, OH 45202).

A Catholic Funeral Mass will be held on Saturday, April 9th, 2022 at 11:00am with Father Norman Langenbrunner presiding at Sacred Heart Church, 400 Nilles Road, Fairfield, OH 45014. Followed by a Celebration of Life, with light refreshments served, at The Benison Event Center, 100 S. 3rd Street, Hamilton, OH 45011.

Rhonda would like to note that she composed this obituary prior to her death in an effort to ease the stress and burden on her family.

Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America
6797 N. High Street, Suite 119, Worthington OH 43085
Web: https://online.crohnscolitisfoundation.org/site/Donation2?28287.donation=form1&df_id=28287&mfc_pref=

Lifecenter
615 Elsinore Place, #400, Cincinnati OH 45202
Web: https://lifepassiton.org/contribute/