Hotel manager, businessman.
Born at Port Coquitlam, British Columbia on 15 May 1937, son of Burville Dayton Griffin (1887-1954) and Gladys “Tid” Guernsey (1898-1987), he was educated at Kelowna and St. George's Boys School (Vancouver). In his youth, he skated competitively and turned professional at the age of 17. He then studied for two years at the University of Victoria before beginning a career in the hospitality industry.
In May 1961, he arrived in Brandon as Assistant Manager of the Prince Edward Hotel. He spent over a decade as General Manager of former Canadian National hotels, including the Minaki Lodge (Minaki, Ontario), Prince Arthur Hotel (Thunder Bay, Ontario), and the Prince Edward Hotel. His work at the latter was featured in the short film “Tales from the Eddy”. He then ran several businesses in Brandon, including Flower Mart (1980s), Yukon Tea Room, Embers Restaurant, and Griff's Sports Lounge.
He and wife Florence Colleen Ducharme (?-2007) had a home in Grand Valley for over 37 years where they raised two daughters and two sons. He was active with several Brandon organizations, including the Lions Club, Chamber of Commerce, 1979 Winter Games, Figure Skating Club, Daly House Museum, and Navy Sea Cadets. He served as President of the Brandon CNIB and Brandon Allied Arts Centre.
He died at his home in Brandon on 27 August 2026.
Death registrations [Burville Dayton Griffin, Gladys Griffin], British Columbia Vital Statistics.
Obituary [Florence Colleen Griffin], Brandon Sun, 21 March 2007, page 34.
Obituary, Brockie Donovan.
We thank Shaun Cameron for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 29 August 2026
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