Joseph “Griff” T. Griffith (1966 – 2026)

If you knew Joseph T. Griffith, you knew a man with a wide-open heart and a natural gift for bringing people together. On June 16, 2026, Joe finished a courageous, hard-fought battle with colon cancer at age 60, leaving behind a community of friends and family who will miss his warmth every single day.

An Elizabeth kid through and through, Joe brought his competitive spirit to Roselle Catholic High School before finding his home at Villanova University. He walked away with an English degree and a lifelong devotion to the Wildcats, savoring their national basketball championships like personal victories. That same fierce loyalty defined his decades working alongside his brothers at the family business, The O'Donnell Agency.

Joe loved sports, whether it was cheering for the Dolphins and Yankees, coaching his sister’s basketball team, or running the NYC Marathon. In a brilliant bit of cosmic timing, Joe got to witness his beloved Knicks finally clinch the NBA Championship just three days before his passing.

Joe approached the world with a carefree and lighthearted spirit. He loved his family deeply, honoring his late sister, Maryellen, by walking the Susan G. Komen races. But of all his chapters, nothing came close to being a dad. His two greatest joys in this world, his children Braden and Jocelyn, survive him. To know Joe was to love Joe.

Joe is also survived by his brothers, Robert J. and Edward M.,and John D. Griffith, and his sister, Emily C. Griffith. He was predeceased by his parents, Robert G. and Mary M. Griffith, and his sister, Maryellen Fiore.

Friends and family are invited to a visitation on Friday, June 19, from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Higgins & Bonner Echo Lake Funeral Home in Westfield, New Jersey. A funeral Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, June 20, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Genevieve's R.C. Church in Elizabeth, New Jersey, followed by burial at St. Gertrude's Cemetery in Colonia, New Jersey.