Mildred Griffin

Mildred Griffin, 102, of Steamboat Rock, went to be with her Lord and Savior on Saturday, August 30, 2025, at Byron Manor in Byron Center, Michigan, with loving family members by her side. Visitation will be held from 5:00 - 7:00 pm on Friday, September 12 at Adams Celebration of Life, 25631 Co Hwy D35, Iowa Falls, IA 50126. A Celebration of Life will be held at 10:30 am on Saturday, September 13 at the First Christian Reformed Church, 12420 185th Street, Wellsburg, IA 50680. A luncheon will follow the service. With honor, Adams Celebration of Life is serving the family. 

Mildred Oelmann Janssen Griffin was born May 27, 1923, near Abbott, Iowa, the daughter of Otto and Katherine Johns Oelmann. She attended rural Ackley schools and graduated from Ackley High School in 1941. She worked as a secretary in loan offices in Waterloo, Iowa, and as a secretary/teller in Peoples Savings Bank of Waterloo and in Ackley State Bank, Ackley, Iowa. 

On January 23, 1946, in Meservey, Iowa, she was married to Alfred E. Janssen from Steamboat Rock, Iowa, by her uncle, Rev. Elco Kampmann of Meservey, Iowa. They lived in Baltimore, Maryland for a year while Alfred was in the Army. At that time, she worked as a secretary at the George R. Norris Ford Dealership in Baltimore, Maryland. They began farming the Janssen family farm near Steamboat Rock in 1947, where they lived until the death of Alfred in 1974. They became the parents of four children: two girls, Sue and Kay, and two boys, Lee and Rex. In 1975 Mildred and her three youngest children moved to a home in Steamboat Rock. 

On October 17, 2004, Mildred and Keith Griffin of Astwood Bank, Redditch, England were married in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Since then, they have made many trips to England visiting Keith’s family and sightseeing in many areas of that country.

She was an active member of the First Christian Reformed Church of Wellsburg, Iowa, serving on various committees, including the 100th, 125th and 150th Anniversaries.  She was a member of Queen Esther Circle for many years as well as Timothy Sisters and Women’s Fellowship League. For 30 years she was a member of the Life Group, a women’s mission project.

She was a member of Progress Club and was involved in various community projects. She and her husband Keith were active in the Steamboat Rock Historical Society. 

She enjoyed painting in oil, acrylic, watercolor and pastel. Joining some friends, she helped paint murals for school proms and on the walls of the school and city hall. She also enjoyed other handwork and working with Keith in growing flowers and vegetable plants.

Mildred will be remembered by her children for her rock-solid Christian faith, always pointing others to Jesus Christ; for being a loving mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, always holding her children and their children in her prayers; and for being a good friend to many people.

She had a numerous hardships in her life, but would always say, "God has been so good to me. I am so blessed." Her hope in God and his promises, and her love for Jesus, were evident to all who knew her.

Mildred is survived by her husband Keith; her children: Sue Luiken and her husband Marvin of Iowa Falls; Lee Janssen of Denison; Rex Janssen of St. Louis, Missouri; Kay Veldkamp and her husband Brent of Byron Center, Michigan; step daughter Amanda Withorn and her husband Lee of Redditch, England; eleven grandchildren; nine great grandchildren; two step grand daughters; a sister-in-law, Ann Noteboom of Grand Rapids, Michigan; and nieces and nephews. 

She was preceded in death by her first husband, Alfred Janssen on January 17, 1974; her parents; a sister, Norma Heitland, of St. Paul, Minnesota in 2015; two brothers, Bernard Oelmann in 1964 and Wesley Oelmann in 2009; and by brothers-in-law William Noteboom in 2004 and Donald Heitland in 2012.

Memorial contributions may be given to Christian Solidarity International (Mildred's grandson works for CSI) Christian Solidarity International - USA (csi-usa.org) or House of Hope (the Hughes foundation) We are a lifeline for those affected by HIV/AIDS (hfhope.org).

Cards and memorials may also be mailed to Sue Luiken, 14394 Hwy 65 Lot 70, Iowa Falls, IA 50126.