The story of Legacy Village of Jacksonville resident Dolores Griffey begins in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where she was born on July 16, 1934, to Carl and Lillian DeSha. The youngest of eight children, Dolores grew up in a lively, bustling household—a place where she learned the give-and-take of big family life and found her own joys along the way. Math was always her favorite subject, and she carried that love from her earliest school days all the way through to graduation at Chattanooga Central High School in 1952.



That same year, life moved quickly. Dolores married Kenneth Griffey, whom she’d first met while still in school, and she started her first job soon after—bookkeeping at Olan Mills Photography Studios. The newlyweds settled in Chickamauga, Georgia, but always kept family close at heart. In May 1956, Dolores and Kenneth welcomed their only child, Ken Jr., into the world. Wanting to be near family, they decided to build a home right next door to her in-laws in Harrison, Tennessee, where they would live for many years.

Dolores’s path as a bookkeeper took her through Chattanooga’s workplaces. She kept the books for Curtis Electric, then Goodman Hyde and Leather, and later joined Parker Cutlery, where she worked until her retirement in 1988. Each job brought new experiences and interesting people, and Dolores’s steady hand and skill with numbers made her an asset wherever she went.

When the time came to retire, Dolores and Kenneth weren’t ready to sit still. They sold their house and most of their belongings, bought a travel trailer and set out to explore the country. Their adventures took them nearly everywhere: from Maine’s rocky coasts to California’s sunlit highways, up through Oregon’s forests and down to Florida’s beaches. They spent their summers traveling, always chasing good weather, and when the cold months came, they wintered in Brownsville, Texas, drawn by its milder climate. As the years passed, their love for the open road grew—so did their motorhomes, each new one a little bigger and more comfortable than the last.

They marked milestones with travel, too, flying to Hawaii and, for their 50th wedding anniversary, taking a cruise to Alaska. Eventually, the rhythm of the road led them to a small retirement community in Wauchula, Florida. There, Dolores and Kenneth realized their travel years were winding down. They decided to spend winters in Florida and escape the heat by spending summers in another retirement community in Crossville, Tennessee, up in the coolness of the Cumberland mountains. Their lives were rich with experience and filled with the beauty of nearly every corner of the United States.

Dolores’s family has always been at the center of her heart. Her son Ken and his wife Sandy have two children, Matthew and Jennifer. Matthew and his wife Jeanette live in Jacksonville, Alabama, with their son Lucas, now thirteen. Jennifer and her husband Michael live in Mt Juliet, Tennessee, with their sons Andrew, eighteen, and Josh, sixteen. Dolores cherishes the chance to watch her grandchildren and great-grandchildren grow—each milestone and gathering adding another layer to the family story.

In September 2020, after sixty-eight years of marriage, Kenneth passed away. Dolores reflects on the adventures, the laughter, and the quiet moments they shared—grateful for the life they built together.

In May 2026, Dolores made a new home at Legacy Village of Jacksonville. She brings with her a lifetime of stories—of numbers and bookkeeping, of travel trailers and motorhomes, of Chattanooga roots and family bonds that stretch across generations. Each detail, each memory, has shaped a life of resilience, curiosity and deep love. For those who know her now, Dolores Griffey is a reminder that every chapter matters, and that the journey truly is as meaningful as the destination.