State Rep. Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich) presented House Resolution 794 to the widow, Audrey Griffith, and daughter, Tori Lorene Griffith, of former Dieterich Mayor Burl Wayne Griffith on Monday, August 5, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. in a ceremony at the Dieterich Civic Center. Mr. Griffith passed away at the age of 74 on March 31 in Harlingen, Texas with funeral services held April 10 at the Immaculate Conception Parish Center, and burial in the Dieterich Village Cemetery.
“I was honored to present this resolution the family of former Mayor Burl Griffith,” said Rep. Adam Niemerg.
House Resolution 794 was passed unanimously by the Illinois House during the recent Spring Session and included the following about Mayor Griffith:
Burl Griffith was born in Effingham, lived in Dieterich his entire life, and graduated from Dieterich High School where he was a member of the yearbook staff, the historian club, and the student council. He also played on the basketball and baseball teams and ran track and cross country. Griffith attended Lakeland College and then received a bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in physical education from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville where he was a scholarship athlete.
Burl Griffith married Audrey Weiffenbach at the First Christian Church in Effingham in 1974, and they had three children, Trent Wayne, Ty, and Tori Lorene.
The Resolution went on to say that Griffith worked as a substitute teacher in Effingham and Jasper Counties for two and a half years, served as a transportation engineer at Ameren/CIPS in Newton, and was the steward for Local 702 for many years.
Mr. Griffith possessed an extraordinary love and insight into the future for his community while serving as Mayor of Dieterich for two terms. During his tenure he encouraged new businesses to come to Dieterich and helped establish North Pointe, a new, affordable subdivision targeted towards people with growing families.
Burl Griffith served as a school board member of Dieterich Community Unit School District 30 for many years; he was instrumental in helping the implementation of Spanish into the school curriculum, securing land to build a pre-school for the district, and overseeing the completion of a large remodeling project.
Burl Griffith was an active member of his community, serving as a deacon at the First Christian Church in Dieterich, a precinct committeeman for several years, and as a volunteer firefighter. He was also a member of the Winterrowd Masonic Lodge #664 in Dieterich and was a Shriner with the Ainad Temple.
Burl Griffith continued the legacy of his late mother by helping form and operate the Dieterich Park District while coaching Little League. He encouraged and instilled civic responsibilities in his own children by making it a family project to assist with the building and maintenance of the Dieterich Park District and the Veterans Memorial.
