Philip "Bunk" M. Griffin

On October 16, 2024, at home and surrounded by family, Bunk Griffin made his final rounds of the town. It was a kind a gentle ending for a kind and gentle man.

Bunk, the oldest child of Sara and Morris Griffin, was born June 17, 1940 in Saranac Lake, in what is now the NCCC administration building. He married Paula Gardner on January 25, 1969, and with whom he had two daughters, Karry and Kelly.

A lifelong resident of town, he was by professional cook, having worked in The Dew Drop Inn, Tyson’s, The Mar-Mac, and finishied out his career at the Adirondack Medical Center, where he was head chef for 48 years, plus change. He was also a loyal member of the Elks Club and our 2019 Winter Carnival King.

Bunk had more facets than the Koh-i-Noor Diamond, perhaps foremost among them was his being an obsessive collector of Saranac Lake facts, lore, legends, and out-and-out lies. Thus unofficially he was our town historian. If you had any question about the town’s past and its people, he was the man to ask, since he already knew the answer, or it was somewhere among his collection of Saranac Lake-a-bilia — provided he could find it.

To say Bunk was understated was the understatement of the ages. He was like an iceberg — slow-moving and self-contained, with 90 percent beneath the surface. He also was a mass of contradictions: Shy and reserved, he almost never started a conversation, but if you talked to him (especially about Old Time Saranac Lake) he couldn’t say enough.

He was a devoted husband and father, a doting grandfather, and an undyingly loyal friend. He was also the last of our Great Bar Guys, having over the last 65 years bellied up at every bar, roadhouse,gin mill within a 30 mile radius. His stool at bar’s end in the Downhill Grill was thus designated with a brass plaque, lest some non- regular might confuse the issue.

Bunk had a first-rate mind, best described as saying he marched to the beat of his own drum and bugle corps. He also set up Bunk’s Place website, dedicated to All Things Saranac Lake and loved by townies worldwide. And most amazingly, his vast array of computer skills was entirely self-taught.

Any mention of Bunk would be incomplete without mentioning his alter ego, Mountain Al, an odd little hermit who was a tribute to Bunk’s skills as a cartoonist. For years Mountain Al graced the pages of The Adirondack Daily Enterprise. He also was featured on T-shirts, the most notorious being his 1980 Olympics Edition.

Since Lake Placid could not have handled all the car traffic of spectators and workers, the Olympic hierarchy wisely decided to have them park in designated towns outside Lake Placid and be ferried back and forth by vans. To commemorate this enlightened planning, Bunk had T-shirts made showing Mountain Al, anove which was the legend, “Welcome to Saranac Lake, Parking Lot of the 1980 Olympics.” For some unknown reason, everyone was not amused, and he soon received a sharply-worded cease and desist order.

Years later, he was aksed if he complied with the order. “Of course I did,” he said, “…right after I sold the last one.”

Bunk was predeceased by his parents, his wife, his brother Bob and sister Shirley. He is survived by his daughters Karry and Kelly, his sisters Sharon and Kathy. his grandson, partner in crime and best friend CJ Lawless (Kirstin), his beloved granddaughter Karley, and his loyal pals, Rocky Piro and Tony Schenck.

In addition to his family and half-townful of folks who both adored and appreciated him, Bunk leaves behind a gargantuan stash of books, magazines, newspaper clippings, drawings, photographs, postcards, journals, diaries and memorabilia — all about Saranac Lake, and none of it organized.

Anyone wanting to make a donation in Bunk’s memory can do so with Historic Saranac Lake.

On Sunday, Oct. 27, at 12:30, Bunk will be laid to rest in The Harrietstown Cemetery, the cemetery with the best view within the Blue Line. A celebration of his life will take place afterward at (Where else but?) The Downhill Grill.

Funeral arrangements are in care of the Fortune-Keough Funeral Home in Saranac Lake. Family and friends can share there condolences and memories at fortunekeoughfuneralhome.com.