The Ride of a Lifetime
Louis Griffin’s Senior Wish
On May 6, 2022, just 10 days before turning 87, Louis Griffin climbed into a Cessna airplane for his Senior Wish and the ride of his life, accompanied by his son, Daryl, and CNS social worker, Jason Bohman.
Pilot Kim Hall of Leading Edge Aviation in Logan flew the group from the Logan Airport throughout Cache Valley, including Millville Canyon and Mount Logan, where Louis and his family used to enjoy camping.
“Louis was especially excited to see the areas where he and Daryl had once ridden motorcycles,” Kim recalled. “He was grinning from ear to ear. It was a lot of fun to fly with him.”
Kim also flew over Clarkston, Utah, where Louis was born at his parents’ home in 1935. As they looked over Louis’ family farm in Trenton, Louis recalled milking cows as a boy when the temperature dropped to 40 degrees below zero.
They concluded the journey by flying over Logan and several landmarks, including the Logan Utah Temple where Louis served for many years and Utah State University, which held special memories for Louis: He worked more than 30 years for USU Extension, introducing the concept of long-distance education at USU in 1989 to help nontraditional students throughout Utah earn degrees.
“It was very kind of Kim to take the time to fly us to so many places in the back country where my dad grew up,” Daryl said. “He also banked the plane so we could look straight down at the stadium and university. Dad appreciated seeing Utah State from the air, one last time.”
When they landed at the Logan Airport after the 75-minute flight, Louis, Daryl, and Jason sat in the sunshine and enjoyed the blue sky while Louis reminisced about the many places he’d traveled to.
Louis expressed his joy at taking a flight, rather than a stroll, down memory lane.
“Today is great. This was great!” he said.