Connie Jo (Hemrich) Griffith (63) of Ozark, MO, formerly of Newton

Connie Jo (Hemrich) Griffith, age 63, of Ozark, Missouri, and formerly of Newton, Illinois, passed away at 9:30 PM – Sunday, January 14, 2024, at CoxHealth Medical Center in Springfield, Missouri.

Funeral services will be held at 12:00 PM – Saturday, January 27, 2024, at the Meyer Funeral Home in Newton, Illinois, with Rick Britton officiating. The burial will be in the Yale Cemetery in Yale, Illinois. Visitation will be held from 10:00 AM until service time. In loving memory of Connie, memorials may be made to the Jasper County Cancer Fund, PO Box 333, Newton, Illinois 62448.  A memorial service will be held in Ozark, Missouri, at a later date. The obituary can be viewed, and condolences left by clicking here.

Connie was born on May 2, 1960, in Olney, Illinois, the daughter of Gerald Joseph and Rosella (Dhom) Hemrich.  She graduated from Newton Community High School with the Class of 1978.  Connie was united in marriage to Dennis Griffith on August 25, 1984, at St Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Newton, Illinois.

Connie became a dispatcher with the Newton Police following High School and a meter reader.  When the telecommunication of the Newton Police Department and Jasper County Sheriff’s office combined, she became a 911 telecommunicator.  Later she became the secretary under Sheriff Rick Britton.  Connie retired after working a total of 32 years for the Newton Police and the Jasper County Sheriff’s office.  

Connie was a member of the St Joseph the Worker Catholic Church in Ozark, Missouri and a former longtime member of St Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Newton, Illinois.

Connie was a member of the American Rose Society and the master gardeners.  Her passion was growing roses, gardening, fishing, traveling, cooking, and animals, especially her dogs Rastus and Missy, mules, and horses.  Connie’s family and friends were so important to her, and she loved to visit with them.

Connie is survived by:

Husband of 39 years – Dennis Griffith of Ozark, Missouri

Siblings - Phyllis (Fred) Neu of Effingham, Illinois; Roger (Sherrie) Hemrich of Sainte Marie, Illinois; Bill (Amy) Hemrich of Sullivan, Illinois; Randy (Linda) Hemrich of Newton, Illinois; Brad Hemrich (fiancé Deanna Foster) of Grantsville, Georgia; Nick (Sarah) Hemrich of Newton, Illinois; Teresa (Bruce) Ochs of Newton, Illinois; and Tracy (Scott) Blackwell of Effingham, Illinois.

Several nieces and nephews also survive.

Connie was preceded in death by her parents.