Dr. Griffin
Born January 28, 1929 in Seattle, WA, second of twin sons to Arthur R., a lawyer, and Mae Trenholme Griffin, a nurse. Tren was proud of being a 4th generation Puget Sound native. His great-grandfather Emileen Paumel, a coal miner from France, came to Black Diamond in 1885 and lived on a land grant in the Green River Valley, now Metzler State Park and Canterberry Farm. Both grandparents were Seattle pioneers. Judge Arthur E. Griffin was a founder of Enumclaw, WA and a King County Superior Court Judge from 1902 to 1916. James D. Trenholme was prominent in Seattle shipping, a member and president of Seattle Park Board, and chairman of state Democratic Party who ran for mayor losing to Hiram Gill in 1916. Both grandfathers were in business ventures in the Klondike during the gold rush.
Tren attended John Muir grade school, Franklin High School, and the University of Washington class of 1951 where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta Fraternity and a coxswain of the Husky rowing team. In 1948 his freshman eight and junior varsity crews of 1949 and 1950 won national IRA championships at Poughkeepsie, NY and Marietta, Ohio. In 1951 his varsity 8 placed second in the IRA regatta at Marietta, Ohio.
In 1955 Tren graduated from the University of Washington School of Medicine, did a Residency in Pediatrics at the University of Colorado in Denver and The Children’s Orthopedic Hospital in Seattle. From 1958 to 1960 he served with the U.S.Army Medical Corps in Germany. Tren was a Bellevue pediatrician from 1960 to 1966. He returned to the University of Washington for a Residency in Radiation Oncology. In 1969 he became the first Radiation Oncologist at Children’s Orthopedic Hospital and established their Dept.of Nuclear Medicine. Also that year Tren joined his brother Art, radiologist at Providence Hospital, as a Radiation Oncologist.
In Sept.1983 he and his wife Gail moved to the Middle East where he was a staff Radiation Oncologist at King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Returning to the USA in Oct.1985 he became Medical Director of the Northern Rockies Cancer Center in Billings, MT. He retired in Dec. of 1990 and returned home to Kirkland. For the following 9 years he was a locum tenens vacation coverage Radiation Oncologist working part time in 17 states nationwide. He was a member of King County Medical Society, the American Society of Therapeutic Radiology, and the American Society of Nuclear Medicine.
Tren twice served as a trustee of the University of Washington Med School Alumni Association and was a member of Rotary in Seattle and Billings. His hobbies included salt water and steelhead fishing, and tennis. He was a longtime member of the Seattle Tennis Club. Tren and Gail were world travelers enjoying many trips to Europe, Asia, the subcontinent of India, and Africa. He also was an avid reader and enjoyed learning – he attended the Access Program at the UW for Seniors taking many History and Art History classes over 18 years. Tren had a tremendous sense of humor which he himself greatly enjoyed!!
He is survived by Gail his wife of 40 years, sons Trenholme J (Nancy), Thomas A (Angela) both of Bainbridge Island, daughter Debra G (Andrew) Douglas of Seattle, and six grandchildren – Scott (Noel) of Boise, Bob of Bainbridge Island, Trenholme and Tessa of Seattle, Kelsey (Chip) Stewart of Houston and Wil Douglas of Seattle, and one great grandson Felix of Boise. He was preceded in death by his sisters Jan G Storaasli and Ruth G Horgan and twin brother Art Griffin.
Special thanks to his Hospice Nurse Jessica, the owners and staff of Golden Cottage AFH where he lived the last 5 weeks of his life, and his longtime cardiologist Joseph W. Doucette, MD.
Funeral service will be August 24, 2023 at 2 p.m. at St Thomas Episcopal Church in Medina, WA. In lieu of flowers consider remembrances to , HopeLink, KCLS in Issaquah, WA, or charity of your liking.
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