text: John W. Griffin - Mar 13, 1933 - Oct 8, 2017
  Mar 13, 1933 - Oct 8, 2017
  JACKSONVILLE - John W. Griffin, 84, of Jacksonville, died at his home on Sunday, October 8, 2017 after a lengthy illness. Memorial services will be held at 2:00 PM on Wednesday at Jones Funeral Home, Jacksonville Chapel, with Rev. Charles McKinney officiating.
  Mr. Griffin was born in Edenton, NC to the late Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Griffin. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by five brothers, one sister, his mother-in-law, a brother-in-law and one nephew.
  He was a 1952 graduate of Edenton High School and served his country in the United States Air Force from 1952 to 1956. He received his teaching degree from East Carolina College in 1962.
  Mr. Griffin was employed by Camp Lejeune Dependent Schools for 14 years and Onslow County Schools for 19 years for a total of 33 years in the school system. Upon retirement, he was awarded THE ORDER OF THE LONG LEAF PINE and also received an award for 30 years of service for The North Carolina High School Officials Association.
  Survivors include his wife of 47 years, Linda Griffin of the home; sister-in-law, Brenda McKenrick and her husband, Tom of Cameron, NC; brother-in-law, Dan Clark and his wife, Cindy of Fayetteville, NC; and several nieces and nephews. Joe, Uncle John always enjoyed your countless hours of visits, always including taking time to pray and fellowship together.
  The family would like to extend a special thank you to Onslow Home Health and Hospice for their professional dedication and kindness. Without Jackie, Yolanda, Sara, Stacy and all the staff and doctors, John could not have met his goal of being at home when he went to be with his Lord and Savior.
  Words can never express our heartfelt thank you to our neighbors, Jim and Vickie Debrito for their loving care and friendship of over 30 years.
  The family will receive friends Wednesday afternoon, prior to the service, from 1:00 until 2:00 PM at the funeral home.
  In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Onslow Community Outreach – Onslow Soup Kitchen, 600 Court Street, Jacksonville, NC 28540.
  Celebrating the life of John W. Griffin
  Thank you for signing John W. Griffin's Guestbook
  Coach Griffin was our basketball coach at Lejeune High School from 1965 through the 1968 seasons. With Coach Griff leading the way, during that period his teams won two conference championships, beat Quantico high school, and his 1968 team was ranked in the top ten in eastern North Carolina. About two years ago I had the privilege of talking with Coach Griffin on the phone and we laughed as we reminisced about old times, overtime games, big wins (particularly beating Swansboro) and the joy of competing with him at practice. We will never forget one of his favorite sayings - "On the endline ..."
  Linda: Please accept our condolences and sympathy on the loss of your husband, and a great teacher, friend and Coach. The lessons he taught us remain with us after all these years and he has been a positive influence on his students and teams. We will remember him fondly and forever appreciate all that he has done for us.
  Rick Gutekunst (LHS Class of 1968)
  Submitted by Rick and Anne Gutekunst on Oct 13 2017 03:36:23 PM
  Saw Coach Griffin at our CLHS 2005 reunion along with others. His sense of humor and his funny way to remember things from my past with him during my high school years at CLHS was great to see. He always had a great smile and a positive attitude when teaching us. Our deepest condolences to his family.
  Submitted by Scott Clarke on Oct 13 2017 11:30:18 AM
  In the late 60's Coach Griffin was the boys Varsity basketball coach at Camp Lejeune High. His coaching ability helped motivate the team and initiated skills that CLHS hadn't seen for many years, which resulted in a winning season in 1966-67. I last saw Coach at the Lejeune All Classes reunion in 2005 when the classes of '65-'67 invited him to our celebration at the O Club. He still was the funny, friendly man that I had remembered from my high school days. My deepest condolences are sent to his wife and family. May he rest in peace.
  Submitted by Karen Crompton Stanson on Oct 13 2017 09:52:42 AM
  Ray and I offer our most sincere condolences for your loss.
  Submitted by Mary Stanley on Oct 12 2017 06:12:35 PM
  Mary Stanley lit a candle for John W. Griffin
  Mary Stanley lit a candle on Oct 12 2017 06:11:36 PM
  Though I Have not seen or spoken to Coach in over 30 years, I respect his straightforwardness and belief that we can all achieve what we want with hard work. Lucky to have played Football and Baseball at Jacksonville Jr. High Dragons. Very funny man and loved the games in which he Coached. You will be missed Coach.
  Submitted by Jimmy Crossgrove on Oct 11 2017 03:30:50 PM
  Though it has been awhile since I have run into Coach Griffin, I am deeply touched by the loss of this great soul that will no longer walk this Earth. It was a great privilege to have him as a teacher all three years that I attended Jacksonville Jr. High and he was always uplifting when I ran into him as an adult. I truly know that he loved those that were entrusted with his care as students. John Griffin was a lot of fun but he could be very stern when he needed to be. We know that so many of us luv John W. Griffin, but I hope his family and all that knew him will get solace in knowing that he has no more pain, and no more suffering and above all God loves him the most and he is eternally in his care.
  Submitted by Brian H Jackson on Oct 10 2017 11:31:25 AM
  Brian H. Jackson lit a candle for John W. Griffin
  Brian H. Jackson lit a candle on Oct 10 2017 11:31:03 AM
  Coach Grif was always hard on us in basketball and football, but he always got the best out of us. Rare for a JV team to beat the varsity!! He also had a fun side to him which I think of often. Coach Grif left his mark on many of us from Lejeune High. Great coach and a great man. I only wish now I knew he was still in Jacksonville- I was told he had moved to Edenton some time back. Fond memories of my time shared with coach. Prayers for all family.
  Submitted by Mike Nowell on Oct 10 2017 10:34:10 AM
  Sorry for the loss of your dear loved one. After the death of a loved one many may wonder: Does death mean the end of that person? Is there any hope that we can see our loved ones again? The Bible offers hope of relief from death at 1 Corinthians 15:26 which promises that "the last enemy, death, is to be brought to nothing." Be assured that God knows your pain and already has arrangements in place to make everything right again (Isaiah 26:19; John 5:28,29). Rely on Him in prayer during this difficult time, for He will give you peace of mind and "the power beyond what is normal" to cope (Philippians 4:6,7; 2 Corinthians 4:7). Take care.