Ralph Seth Giffin III

WILTON – Ralph Seth Giffin III, 74, of Wilton, passed away on Sunday, May 14, 2023 at the Franklin Memorial Hospital in Farmington.

Ralph was born at Lowell General Hospital, Lowell, Mass. on Aug. 10, 1948 to Ralph Seth and Helen Louise (Sandy) Giffin, Jr. In their early years, the family grew up in Dracut and later Oxford, Mass. Ralph graduated from Oxford Memorial High School and attended Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester, Mass. He joined the Navy on March 24, 1969. He served at the Naval bases at Roosevelt Roads, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Virginia, and Pennsylvania with assignments on the USS Puget Sound, USS McCandless and the destroyer, USS Coontz. Most of this time he kept the sailors fed as a member of the on-board cook staff. Ralph was released from active-duty on Jan. 26, 1973 to serve in the Naval Reserve until receiving an honorable discharge on March 23, 1975. He was awarded a National Defense Service medal and of course, the Good Conduct Award!

On his release from the Navy, he moved north to Fayette to stay with parents, Ralph and Sandy and then moved to Wilton where he lived for over 47 years.

Ralph met his wife, Sheila Tenny in September 1974 at the Farmington Fair while they were both students at the University of Maine, Farmington. They were married the following year, June 19, 1975. Ralph worked in Livermore Falls at the shoe factory 1974-’75 and at Forster Manufacturing in Wilton 1975-’83. Sheila worked for the State of Maine Department of Transportation from 1987 until retiring in 2014.

Ralph was active in the local substance abuse group and as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Farmington.

Ralph will always be remembered by those who knew him as a kind, honest and gentle person with a good sense of humor and a lot of friends! He always had a positive outlook, rarely complained, and took a genuine interest in the people around him. If you called him and asked how he was doing, he would invariably reply, “I’m doing better now that I’m talking to you!”

Ralph will be missed.

Besides his wife Sheila, Ralph is survived by his brother, Gregory Giffin and his wife, Lorraine of Southport, N.C.; a nephew, Neil Giffin and his wife Molly, of Rocky Point, N.C.; and a niece, Louise Giffin and her husband Nik Stasulli and their son, Breck, of Monroe, Conn.

A Memorial Service will be held at Wiles Remembrance Center, 137 Farmington Falls Rd., Farmington on Wednesday June 28 at 11 a.m. followed by a reception of care and comfort.

Honored to be serving the family of Ralph S. Giffin, III is Wiles Remembrance Centers, where messages of sympathy are welcome in his Book of Memories at http://www.wilesrc.com.

In lieu of flowers,

donations can be made in memory of Ralph to the

Wilton Food Pantry,

600 Main St.,

Wilton, ME 04394 or

Franklin County

Animal Shelter,

550 Industry Rd.,

Farmington, ME 04938


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