On January 2, 2024, Jill Aubrey Lawrence Griffith, of Warren Township, NJ, passed away at the age of 75.

 

Jill was preceded in death by her paternal grandmother Muriel Madeline Bannister, paternal grandfather Egbert Lawrence Bannister, maternal grandfather Aubrey F. Ward, maternal grandmother Beryl Hinds, father Lawrence Blair Bannister, her mother Joyce Eldelia Bannister, and her husband William Howard Mansergh Griffith.

 

She is survived by her brothers Stirling Andrew Lawrence Bannister and Philip Egbert Lawrence Bannister; son T. Kimani Mansergh Griffith; daughter Vater Anika Griffith; daughter-in-law Shanthini Jayaratnam-Griffith; granddaughters London Aneyah Zubar and Aubrie Meera Griffith; nieces Akilah Shari Bannister and Kaitlyn Pascal Bannister; and nephew Tai Skyler Bannister.

 

Jill was born in 1948 and raised on the beautiful island of Barbados. She was the daughter and granddaughter of some influential men who were a testament to ambition. Her grandfather, Egbert Bannister, was the owner of Morgan Lewis Sugar Plantation, which erected a famous windmill that was famously embossed on the 25 cent Barbadian coin. Her other grandfather, Aubrie Ward, was the founder of Mount Gay Rum, the world’s oldest commercial rum distillery. It’s clear that Jill’s drive was fueled by a long history of individuals who dreamed big and achieved great things. Having afforded her an education, they helped to carve out a path for her that would prove to be equally ambitious and noble. 

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Jill and her two brothers, Stirling and Philip, grew up with their maternal grandparents on Morgan Lewis Plantation.  Their parents lived in Jamaica, where their father attended The University of the West Indies as a medical student. Jill would later follow in her father’s footsteps and graduate from The University of the West Indies with a degree in chemistry. 

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She met her husband while attending university, married, and had her first child. Soon, the family moved to New Jersey where her husband would practice nephrology at Newark’s Beth Israel Hospital. 

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They moved alongside numerous other graduating doctors and their families from the Caribbean community. As a result, they developed a valuable and long-lasting network of friends and family in New Jersey.

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After their second child was born, they settled in Edison, where Jill worked as a chemist for Johnson and Johnson and later Squibb pharmaceutical companies. She eventually received her MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson. After achieving upper management positions with Bristol Myers Squibb in the Princeton, Indiana, and Puerto Rican campuses, she retired in 2000.

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Jill was a loving wife, mother, and grandmother. She enjoyed celebrating for any occasion, dancing with her husband, and listening to country music. She also was admired for her cooking, especially her jerk salmon, clam linguini, and seafood gumbo.  She will be remembered for her kindness and generosity in helping others.