Introduction
I like to say: “It’s good to have a plan for the future, but it can change at any moment. The past is in the past, it cannot be changed, but it is important since it defines us and makes us who we are today. The present is most important, as there is no promise or guarantee for tomorrow”.
This is the “Abridged Autobiography of M.H. “Griff” Griffith” published here. It will contain notable highs and lows from my background to hopefully give those who read it a bit of an understanding of where I come from. As I said, the past is important since it defines us and makes us who we are today.
The Foundational Years
Griff was born in Mission Viejo, California, into a family with deep and diverse roots. His parents worked in the aerospace industry, carrying forward the spirit of hard work from Griff’s father’s grandfather, a Kentucky coal miner, and his mother’s parents, who were once performers in a traveling Wild West rodeo show. Griff grew up alongside his amazing older siblings, who helped shape the foundation of his life.
He spent his childhood in the small town of Lake Elsinore, California, where he was raised by his parents and his beloved maternal grandmother. Griff proudly carried the spirit of his community as a Butterfield Bear, a Terra Cotta Mustang, and later an Elsinore Tiger. Throughout his school years, he remained an honors student, active in AFJROTC, band, and community service through the local chamber of commerce.
It was during these formative years that Griff first experienced profound loss. In sixth grade, he lost his grandmother — a guiding figure in his life. In the quiet, grieving nights that followed, he found comfort in his grandmother’s old black cat, Boogers, whose late-night companionship helped them both heal. Through his grief, Griff came to a hard but lasting truth: life doesn’t end just because one does.
Loss would revisit him too soon. Griff later lost a close friend and nephew to suicide, and not long after, faced the unimaginable heartbreak of losing his sister to violence. These experiences, while painful, strengthened Griff’s empathy, resilience, and deep appreciation for community and connection — values that continue to guide him today.
The Early Adult Years
During his high school years, Griff also formed and led the band Green Water Jazz, performing at venues throughout the Inland Empire. During this time, Griff also embraced community spirit by donning the mantle of Santa Claus for numerous local events — and even leading a town parade as the Easter Bunny.
It was in these years that Griff made what would become one of life's great ironies: turning down a full-ride scholarship from the U.S. Air Force because he didn’t want a career in computers. (Spoiler: Griff’s future career would end up being in computers and technology.)
Griff was accepted to San Diego State University to study music education. While at SDSU, he marched proudly with the Marching Aztecs, joined the band fraternity Kappa Kappa Psi as Michael “Thunderlips” Herman Howard Griffith, and performed in a variety of jazz ensembles and combos. He even made screen appearances in the movie Bring It On.
However, it wasn’t long before Griff’s passion for music overtook his focus on academics. As one educator later put it, he was “busy being a musician instead of a student.” Griff’s GPA plummeted, and he was ultimately dismissed from SDSU.
Life in the Real World
Stepping into the "real world," Griff worked at Wal-Mart, where he earned an “Associate of the Year” award — and later quit due to poor working conditions. He moved to Target, where he helped inspire change that boosted morale and productivity.
One night, while managers from another store were temporarily overseeing a shift, they mistreated Griff’s team. Griff stood up to them and was escorted out of the building. By the next morning, the situation was clear: management apologized to Griff, acknowledging that he had done the right thing defending his team.
It was during this time that Griff decided to go back to school, enrolling at Cuyamaca Community College. Juggling multiple roles — working full-time overnight at Target, running the college’s piano lab part-time, assisting his mother's business in administrative, IT, and graphic design work, and attending school full-time — Griff lived a life fueled by determination and little sleep. (At one point, he stayed awake for 56 straight hours.)
These were some of the hardest financial years of his life. Griff vividly remembers moments like tricking his mind into feeling full by drinking A1 steak sauce, choosing between fixing a flat tire or paying for electricity, and learning to enjoy cold showers when the power was shut off.
One night, while driving his guitarist friend home, Griff saw an injured cat on the side of the road. Making eye contact with the cat, Griff turned around, unwilling to let it die alone. Another good Samaritan joined him, and together they rushed the cat to an all-night animal hospital. The cat survived, but paying the vet bill left Griff with no money for food until his next paycheck. He still recalls the sting of having to throw away perfectly good food at work while his own stomach remained empty.
Return to Music — and a Turning Point
After completing his studies at Cuyamaca College, Griff set his sights once again on San Diego State University — this time as a Jazz Performance major. His audition remains one of his proudest memories: without access to school resources, Griff transcribed jazz standards by ear, hand-wrote his audition charts, and performed them alongside the faculty, turning the audition into a genuine jam session. He passed.
Yet when it came time to finalize his return, SDSU’s admissions process threw a roadblock. His prior low GPA from SDSU meant he couldn't be re-admitted, despite his now-strong cumulative GPA across both colleges. Even with a petition from the School of Music on his behalf, Griff was denied.
It was at this crossroads that Griff pivoted from pursuing music full-time to focusing on computers and technology — a field where he had always shown natural talent. Frustrated but determined, Griff enrolled at ITT Technical Institute, a for-profit school, while working multiple jobs and a member of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW), the Teamsters, and the Musicians' Union.
This chapter of Griff’s life was ultimately crowned by two life-changing events: securing a career-starting job at Miro Technologies — and meeting the love of his life, Lisa.
Forging a New Path — From Miro to Qualcomm
Griff’s first step into the world of professional technology came at Miro Technologies in La Jolla. As part of the Configuration Management and Deployment Services group, Griff quickly made his mark — not by playing it safe, but by stepping up wherever the need was greatest.
He led internal efforts to manage resources, supervised the team when leadership was needed, and became the final line of defense for high-profile technical support issues around the world. Griff wasn’t just fixing problems; he was shaping solutions — from managing development pipelines to supporting Boeing integrations, building software test labs, and maintaining critical databases across multiple platforms.
Every day was a balancing act: scripting solutions, supporting global deployments, assembling full installations, and keeping the infrastructure humming across systems. It wasn’t always glamorous work, but it was foundational — and Griff learned to thrive under pressure, turning chaos into order with patience, ingenuity, and a dogged commitment to getting the job done right.
By 2014, Griff was ready for a bigger stage.
He transitioned to Qualcomm, one of the world’s leading tech innovators, initially through the Cydio Group. There, as part of the Unix Configuration Management team, Griff spearheaded numerous projects, helped modernize engineering environments, and became a trusted voice in planning, building, and supporting the systems that kept innovation moving forward. He built better processes, fortified release reliability, and served as a critical link across teams — always focused on making things work smarter, cleaner, and faster.
In 2016, Griff officially joined Qualcomm as a full member of the team — and his impact only deepened. Expanding his role, he took stewardship of an authentication service suite, becoming the go-to expert and Lead SME. He played a key role in implementing security solutions across Unix/Linux systems, leading efforts to design automatic upgrade processes, streamlined pipelines, and package custom solutions to support new hardware on older operating systems.
Griff's work wasn’t limited to keeping the lights on. He launched the "Sandbox Sessions" at Qualcomm — a grassroots initiative where employees could explore, learn, and experiment with new technologies together. He was integral in the early new technology adoption efforts, led early adoption of tools for smarter system insights, and became the internal expert in various technologies.
Along the way, Griff honed his public speaking and teaching skills, presenting at major conferences and roadshows, sharing Qualcomm’s successes with the world.
Griff’s journey from a young man scraping by on cold showers and A1 steak sauce meals to a trusted leader in one of the world’s most advanced tech companies wasn’t a straight line. It was a hard-earned, twist-filled climb fueled by his trademark blend of curiosity, resilience, humility, and heart.
Through every late night, every system crash, every setback — Griff kept moving forward, not just building systems, but building a life.
Loss and a New Purpose
During this chapter of his life, loss once again returned to Griff’s doorstep.
He said goodbye to his beloved cat Vatani, a constant companion through so many hard-won years. His brother passed away from heart disease. One by one, the aunts, uncles, and relatives he had known throughout his life faded away. Tragedy also struck closer to his creative spirit: the trumpet player who had performed alongside Griff in countless bands lost his battle with inner demons and died by suicide. Another close friend was killed in a motorcycle crash.
Finally, Griff’s father — his steadfast guide and example — passed away from complications related to a stroke and lung cancer after a lifetime of smoking. After his father’s death, Griff found himself unable to sing without tears for years afterward, a wound that took a long time to even begin to heal.
At this point, Griff’s “traditional” family became the circle he cherished most: his wife Lisa, their cats Conn and Rainy, and his mother — a smaller family, but bound tightly by love, loyalty, and resilience.
Through the pain and the grief, Griff found a new clarity of purpose. As he became more senior in his career, he turned his focus toward mentoring. Too often he had seen people climb the ladder of success only to kick out the rungs behind them. Griff vowed to be different — to leave the ladder standing strong and to lend a steady hand to those who came after him.
He became active in outreach efforts, pouring his time and energy into building a better future for others. Griff participated in conferences for the Grace Hopper Foundation, the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, and the National Society of Black Engineers. He helped judge and support scholarship programs for the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers and Technovation Girls, encouraging young innovators to chase their dreams.
Griff also became a regular speaker at the Thinkabit Labs Summer Camps, where he shared his journey, his hard-won lessons, and his unwavering belief that the next generation deserved every opportunity to succeed — and someone who believed in them.
A New Beginning Rooted in Loss and Hope
As time went on, Griff and Lisa began planning their future beyond California. On a visit to North Carolina to see one of Griff’s closest friends, they didn’t even make it from RDU Airport to Youngsville before Lisa looked around and proclaimed, “This is our home.”
It was during one of these trips that Griff first visited Franklinton — and the Owl’s Roost Brewery.
Griff and Lisa carefully laid the groundwork for their move. But before the plan could be completed, Griff experienced the darkest chapter of his life. In the span of a single devastating year, he lost his beloved cat Conn, then Rainy, and then — two weeks before what would have been their 15th wedding anniversary — Griff lost Lisa, suddenly and without warning.
Lisa was pure light. She was enthusiastic, generous, and always found the good in the world — even when others couldn’t. Her life overflowed with adventures, laughter, and a boundless love that she gave freely to those around her. Her heart was so full and bright that no one could imagine it ever stopping. She touched countless lives. The depth of the grief left behind was the price of being so deeply, beautifully loved.
Lisa often shared simple but powerful lessons with Griff to help guide him through hard times:
Think of something that will make you smile.
Watch something that will make you laugh.
Try to find the positive even in negative situations.
Acknowledge accomplishments — both big and small.
Fight the negative voice in your head.
And always remember: You are loved.
After Lisa’s passing, Griff kept going not because it was easy — but because she would have wanted more for him than survival. She would have wanted him to thrive.
No one wanted Griff to spend the holidays alone in the wake of such a heartbreaking loss. So, with just a backpack on his shoulders, he boarded a plane bound for North Carolina, finding sanctuary in his friend’s home.
While staying there, Griff felt an irresistible pull back to Owl’s Roost Brewery. On that second visit, standing once again in Franklinton’s warm, welcoming air, he knew: this was where he needed to be.
Griff understood how easy it would be to isolate himself, to disappear into grief. But if he lived near Owl’s Roost, he told himself, he would have no excuse not to be social — no excuse not to keep living the way Lisa would have wanted.
He pulled up the list of homes he and Lisa had once saved together during their dream planning. One stood out immediately — the one closest to Owl’s Roost. It was located on the corner of Green and Water.
For “Green Water Griff” — once the leader of Green Water Jazz, and whose life had long been marked by the themes of “Green” and “Water” — it felt like fate.
Griff made an offer. The offer was accepted.
And so, he planted new roots in Franklinton — a town that had welcomed him with open arms, ready for the next chapter of a story still being written, in honor of a love that would never truly fade.
Rooted in Franklinton — and Growing Forward
Now home in Franklinton, Griff’s story of hope and new beginnings continued.
He met a wonderful woman named Emilie. Their very first conversation set the tone for everything that followed — Griff asked her what her favorite dinosaur was, she answered without missing a beat, and then responded with a fun fact about a spider, complete with a video. From that moment on, they never stopped talking.
Griff and Emilie were married at Owl’s Roost Brewery, the place where so much of Griff’s new life had taken shape. In 2024, they welcomed their first child, a daughter named Genevieve — the greatest new adventure yet.
Their home is now filled with life, joy, and the beautiful chaos that comes with raising a family — alongside Simon, Shadow, Snickerdoodle, Biscuits, and Gravy, their beloved cats who add even more laughter and energy to the household.
Griff remains deeply committed to giving back. He continues to mentor and encourage the advancement of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) among young people. He proudly serves on both the Franklinton Tree and Bee Committee and the Franklinton ABC Board and stays active in local community events. Griff jokes that he "barely ever leaves town" because he’s so often found shopping and supporting Franklinton’s growing number of businesses.
Music remains a central part of his life. Griff still plays a variety of instruments and is passionate about collecting and preserving music through his love of vinyl and cassettes — a timeless connection to both his past and his ever-growing future.
Closing Reflection
Griff’s story is one of resilience, heart, and hope — a journey shaped by deep losses, powerful loves, second chances, and unwavering belief in the goodness of people. From humble beginnings in California to finding a true home in Franklinton, his life has been a tapestry woven with both sorrow and joy, challenges and triumphs. Through it all, Griff never lost sight of the values that matter most: kindness, community, and leaving the world better than he found it.
Now, surrounded by the love of his family and the support of his town, Griff continues to build a life rooted in service, creativity, and connection. He is living proof that even after the darkest nights, new days can dawn — and that with a little faith, a little grit, and a lot of heart, the best chapters are always still being written.