Thomas S. Griffin, beloved husband, father, and Papa, drew his last breath on April 21, 2020 with his family by his side, encouraging him as he crossed over into the presence of God. Tommy was born in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba on April 26, 1949, but he spent most of his life in Jacksonville, Florida. He is survived by his wife, Sandy; children, Summer and Joshua; grandson, Jonah; and his siblings, Robert (Debbie) and Lynn (Craig); as well as a huge host of dear family and friends. Tommy lived to be 70 years of age, and he truly lived every moment of his life! He was born into a navy family, son of Bob & Edie Griffin, and spent a lot of his childhood in exotic areas such as Midway Atoll and Panama before settling in Jacksonville, Florida as a young man. Tommy and Sandy met as teenagers while working at an A&W Drive-In where she was a car hop and he worked in the kitchen. They were high school sweethearts and have been inseparable for the last 53 years: the epitome of Americana. Tommy loved spending time with his family and went on many, many exciting adventures near and far that included swimming with manta rays, kayaking down rivers, and zip lining through the rain forest. He also loved playing baseball with his grandson and his yo-yo tricks were quite impressive, too. Through his kindhearted spirit, corny dad jokes or notorious chocolate chip cookies, Tommy always brought a smile to anyone around him. Even the birds flocked to his backyard where he loved to sit with binoculars in hand and watch them while drinking his morning cup of coffee. If you were fortunate enough to know him, you know that he loved his church family and he loved the Lord. His sudden passing leaves us with a void in our hearts that will never be filled; but the abundance of joy overflows with the memories and the legacy of love he left behind. Tommy was fighting a disease he didn’t even know he was battling with a very aggressive form of leukemia. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society at https://www.lls.org/ or by giving blood to your local blood bank in honor of Tommy. Services will be held at a later date when family members are able to return home. For Royal and Janet Goulet – Friend We adored Tom. His humility and kindness was consistent. He loved his family, our Lord, our church family and he is with Jesus. We are so glad he is no longer suffering. Prayers and much love to his family. May 25, 2020 Charlene Lane – Friend, sister in the Lord Beautifully written obituary. We are thankful for the opportunity we had to get to know Brother Tom at church. We are praying for Sandy, Summer, Joshua, and Jonah to have comfort in knowing Brother Tom is in heaven and for the many, wonderful memories they have of this great man. Love and prayers for you all. May 15, 2020
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