GRIFFITH, JOE B., JR.

Griffith, Joe Blocker (J.B.) January 7, 1920 – April 13, 2010 A native and lifelong resident of Dallas, J.B. Griffith went to Armstrong Elementary School, Highland Park High School where he was Valedictorian, “Most Popular Boy,” and captain of the football team. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin where he was a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity and elected to be a “Cowboy.” Until entering Officer’s Candidate School in the Marine Corps, Mr. Griffith spent one semester at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. During WWII, he was a member of an elite guerrilla fighting force, the Marine Raiders created by Evans Carlson. J.B. Griffith was an officer in Col. Carlson’s 2nd Battalion Marine Raider group. He served with distinction in the Pacific and was an officer on Carlson’s famed Long Patrol on Guadalcanal in 1942. In 2000, as the lone surviving original officer of the 2nd Raider Battalion, he attended ceremonies to lay to rest those Raiders whose remains had finally been recovered from Makin Island. He worked in real estate management, served a number of charities, and was a past president of Northwood Club. An avid golfer, he was proud to have shot his age at 78. Mr. Griffith was predeceased by his wife, Ruth O’Donnell Griffith, and his grandson, Eldon Charles (Chuck) Fulgham, Jr. He is survived by his daughters, Sissy Russell and Sally Sebastian; sons in law, Paul Russell, Jr. and Laigh Langley; three grandchildren, Gypsie F. Winslade, her husband, Ian; Paul Russell, III, and his wife Donna; and Griffith Russell, as well as three great-grandchildren, William, Ellie, and Ruthie. In addition, Mr. Griffith is survived by his wife, Norma Higginbotham Griffith and her children, Nell Taylor, Mitch Acker, and Richard Acker. Services will be held at the Church of the Incarnation, 3966 McKinney Ave. on Saturday, April 17, at 1:00 p.m. In lieu flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Children’s Village, P.O. Box 6564, Tyler, TX 75711.