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Cage-Mills Funeral Directors obituary
4901 Everhart Road, Corpus Christi, TX 78411 | 361-854-3282

Carl D. Griffin
December 10, 1926 - November 5, 2013

Carl D. Griffin died November 5, 2013 in Corpus Christi, Texas.  Carl was born December 10, 1926 in Lawrence, Kansas to Carl and Vella Dell (Hundley) Wise.  Vella died shortly after Carl’s birth and his dad asked Vella’s sister Bessie to take care of Carl.  Bessie and her husband, Lester Griffin moved to Dallas, Texas and raised Carl as their own.  In fact, Carl wasn’t legally adopted until he entered the Army at the age of 18. Many years later and after some independent search, he was reunited with his dad and was blessed with the new found relationship with Carl Wise and his wife, Lucille.

Dad joined the Army and served during WWII in a non-combat role until his honorary discharge.  He served in Koreas and was in Okinawa after the war ended.

Carl’s dad (Lester) was the athletic director at the Dallas Athletic Club, where he met a young woman who then introduced him to her sister, Dollie Mae Slocum.  Carl and Dollie married on January 23, 1951 and immediately began a family.  Carl and Dollie had two sons while he was attending Texas A & M – William (Bill) and David.  He graduated from Texas A & M in 1954 with a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine.  Dad took the first career opportunity he could in order to support his family.  That career was with the US Department of Agriculture as a Veterinary Meat Inspector.  They had four more children—Katherine (Kathy), John, Jill, and Scott.  His career with the USDA took the family to Houston, Greenville South Caroline, Bellville  Illinois and then to Corpus Christi in 1960.  Carl worked at Sam Kane Meat Packing as the Head Inspector until his retirement in 1992, after 39 years of service.

Carl and Dollie were married for 44 years until her death in 1995.  They enjoyed a life of raising a family, and a little bit of travel.  But most of all they enjoyed family get  togethers, church socials and visiting with their many friends.  They also enjoyed and loved their 12 grandchildren.  After Dollie’s  death, Carl rebounded and reconnected with his love of playing bridge.  He enjoyed playing with several  groups until his memory loss became too frustrating for him.  He also began his cookie ministry, baking cookies for the Kairos Prison Ministry.  When his friends told him it was time for the bi-annual Kairos, Carl would bake over 100 dozen cookies!  He also sent cookies to soldiers in Iraq, a gift of agape love he started when his son David was working there and he continued even after David returned to the states.  He received gold commemorative Iraqi coins from three different soldiers.  He was a member of the Bromeliad Society and loved spending time in his green house and working in the yard.  He shared this passion with his daughter Kathy and her son, Ian.  Ian went on to win a blue ribbon for an entry at a regional bromeliad conference.

Carl enjoyed life and had a sense of adventure.  He competed in rodeo in college and took up surfing with his son Bill as an adult.  He actually had a mild heart attack in his late fifties while surfing.  The family went on annual camping trips to Leakey, Texas and enjoyed frequent trips to the beach.

Carl is preceded in death by his birth and adoptive parents, his wife, Dollie and her parents Joseph and Nora Mae Slocum, and his grandson Nathan Yarbrough.

Carl is survived by his sons Bill (Melinda), David, John and Scott Griffin and his daughters, Kathy Yarbrough and Jill (Robert) Harris.  He is also survived by his grandchildren—Sean, Joseph (Jessie), Michelle and Rose Griffin, Carly and Brian Griffin, Ian Yarbrough, Jennifer, Stuart and Jacob Harris and Daniel Griffin and his great grandson Caleb Bennett-Jones.

A memorial service will be held on Monday, November 11 at 4:00 p.m. at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 2727 Airline Road.

To offer your condolences visit us at www.cage-mills.com