Alla Claire Griffin

After a long battle with illness, Alla Claire Ifill Griffin passed away quietly at her home in Altadena on March 2nd. The second of four children, she was born Jan 26, 1934 to Vera Clarke and Alan McDonald St. Clair Ifill in New York, New York. In 1942, to aid her recovery from rheumatic fever the family moved to Los Angeles and later graduated in 1951 from Wilson High School. Invited to attend the College of Merchandising after graduating from High School, she was later turned away because of race. She continued her education at L.A. City College instead to become a social worker. She met her husband Cecil Griffin while working as a secretary and they married in Los Angeles on Jun 26, 1955 and had three children. She and her husband Cecil moved the family to Pasadena in 1971. She worked more than 20 years as a social worker for L.A. County Social Services. On retiring, she began a full time career in real estate, obtaining her broker's license and founding Alla & Associates and later Independent Brokers with her son Cecil. She was a member of the national, state and local Association of Realtors and served as mentor to others interested in entering the profession. She received a life-time achievement award from the California Association of Realtors before retiring after more than 30 years in Real Estate.

She remained a fighter for social justice and active participant in local political, social and volunteer organizations. She had a love of real estate, fashion and travel and privately enjoyed gardening, decorating, games, puzzles & reading.

Alla is predeceased by her parents, her husband Cecil and her brothers Don and Vern. She will be greatly missed and remembered by her three children son Cecil Griffin; daughter Donna Griffin Frykholm; daughter Claire Griffin, her sister Miriam Ifill Grut, and two grandchildren Shane and Cheyenne Frykholm.

A memorial service for Alla will be held March 13 at Old North Church, Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills CA.