Neecie Griego

Neecie Griego, of Green Valley, Arizona, passed away on November 9, 2026. She was born August 28, 1949, in Munich, Germany, to Robert Benjamin and Marion Cantrell, and grew up in Oklahoma, Japan, and finally Hawaii, where the family settled while her father served in the U.S. Army.

She met her husband, Robert Griego, at New Mexico Highlands University. A teacher for 40 years, she taught young children, kindergarten and pre-K, for most of her career, and fifth grade later on, in classrooms all over the world during Robert's 31 years with the U.S. State Department, as the family lived in nine countries: Nigeria, Poland, Germany, Yugoslavia, Jordan, Papua New Guinea, Bolivia, Belgium, and Mexico.

In every posting, Neecie built a community of friends around her through the schools where she taught. A natural linguist, she picked up languages quickly and spoke several, learned while living abroad. She had a beautiful voice and sang in church choirs wherever they lived; singing and music were a lifelong passion. Her generosity reached beyond her own classroom, too: in each place they lived, she gave her time to local children's charities, raising funds and gathering clothing and everyday essentials for children in orphanages.

She was predeceased by her husband, Robert Griego, who died in 2021, and by her brother, David Cantrell. She is survived by her daughter, Hollie Griego Manitiu and her husband Andre; her sons, Joaquin Griego and his wife, Vicky Enalen, and Carlos Griego and his wife, Gina; her brother, Bob Cantrell; and her grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held in December at the home of her daughter and son-in-law, Hollie and Andre Manitiu, in Darien, Connecticut.

Funeral arrangements were handled by Green Valley Mortuary. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Neecie's memory to the Tucson Family Food Project, thetucsonfamilyfoodproject.org .