New Haven Register (Sunday) (New Haven, CT)
Julianne Griffin September 9, 2024
Julianne Jakstas Griffin, wife, mother, grandmother, and career-long publisher, passed away at her home on September 9th. Her children, Emily and Scott, said her cause of death was heart failure. She was 76.
She was born in Belmont, MA, in 1948 to Alfred Jakstas, a conservator of fine art, and Valerie ( Jeveraus), a homemaker and active citizen. She was raised in Belmont and Winnetka, IL, attending New Trier High School and then the University of Wisconsin. She enjoyed a long and successful career in the world of art and publishing, with time spent at the Fogg Museum, George Braziller Inc., the Architectural History Foundation, the Morgan Library, and eventually Yale University Press where she finished her career of managing the production of fine art books. A legacy of her work can be found in the scores of beautiful, scholarly books that she produced and adored.
Julianne will be remembered for many things she loved: her many dear friends, both old and new; her love of fine culture, of wine and cocktails. Her cooking, her doting affection on her grandchildren, her occasional complete lack of a filter, her love of yoga and meditation and music. But most of all, her joy and her optimism, her good heart and her vibrancy, and her spirit.
She shared her life with her husband of more than 40 years, Boyd Griffin, whom she met when they were both living in Cambridge, MA in their twenties, and who passed in November 2022. Together they built a life and a family, first in Cambridge and New York City, then in Fairfield and New Haven. They were constant companions and loved each other dearly.
Julianne is survived by her sister Janet Kulesh (Prescott, AZ), her daughter Emily Ryckman (Hanover, NH), her son Scott (Emma) Griffin (Fairfield, CT), and eight grandchildren, Chris, Jane, Charlie, May and Gracie, Thomas, June and Adelaide.
A memorial service will be held Friday September 20th at 12:30 p.m. at Trinity on the Green in New Haven, with a reception to follow. Arrangements are with the Hawley Lincoln Memorial, New Haven.