Jeffrey Griggs

Remembrance Video Jeffrey Loran Chip Griggs February 6, 1970- December 12, 2014 Hartsville, SC Jeffrey Loran Chip Griggs, age 44, died on Friday December 12, 2014 at 12:30 p.m. in room 5012 of the Ashley River Tower at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, SC from Multiple Myeloma. He had been in the Ashley River Tower at MUSC since September 26, 2014. He became ill in March 2014 and fought a hard battle with Multiple Myeloma from March until his death on December 12th. The medical professionals at MUSC and the Hollings Cancer Center did everything they could to save his life but it was not the Lords will. Born on February 6, 1970, at Orlando General Hospital in Orlando, Florida, he was the only son of Loran Alva Griggs and Linda Cornelia Gordon Griggs. His paternal grandparents were Colon Maxie Griggs (June 16, 1916-April 19, 2001) and Ida Mae Johnson Griggs (February 1, 1916-November 10, 1969). His paternal step-grandmother was Mary Frances Winburn Teal Griggs (September 18, 1917-June 9, 1997). His maternal grandparents were Doby Edward Gordon Jr. (October 11, 1915- May 7, 1985) and Juanita Ethelene Teal Gordon (July 9, 1921-June 30, 2006). His maternal step-grandfather was Keith L. Gordon. His paternal great-grandparents were Wiley Griggs (June 20, 1882-November 25, 1956) and Maggie Kelly Griggs (December 10, 1886-October 26, 1972) and James Tillman Johnson (July 28, 1892-February 26, 1966), and Addie Loretta Grooms Johnson (July 15, 1898-February 11, 1970). His maternal great-grandparents were Doby Edward Gordon Sr. (August 7,1873-August 15,1941), Sally Elizabeth McNeely Gordon (June 5, 1876-October 28, 1945), and William "Will" M. Teal (August 1, 1892-June 16, 1948) and Ethelene Rebecca Williams Teal (February 21, 1900-November 9, 1956). From birth until age 6 Chip lived in Cocoa, Florida. He was baptized at a young age in Trinity Lutheran Church in Rockledge, (near Cocoa) Florida. In 1976 at age 6, he moved with his family to Albany, Georgia and lived there through his graduation from Westover High School in 1988. He lettered four years in football at Westover High School (offensive lineman and linebacker). He also lettered in baseball, track (shot put), and wrestling. He attended and played baseball at Truett-McConnell College in Cleveland, Georgia. He also attended West Georgia College (now West Georgia University) in Carrollton, GA. He previously lived in Douglasville, Georgia and was employed at APAC asphalt paving company. He moved to the Cedar Creek community in Chesterfield County in 2011 and greatly enjoyed living in the home of his paternal grandparents, Colon and Ida Mae Johnson Griggs (and step-grandmother Mary Winburn Teal Griggs). He loved sports, hunting, and working on the land and around the pond. He loved using the tractor, riding his four wheeler, and positioning his trail camera to take pictures of any animal or human that was in front of it. He also enjoyed collecting matchbox cars, comic books, and coins. He met Bobby Bowden years ago (at about age 10 in 1980) at a meeting of the Florida State Booster Club in Albany, GA, and was a fan of the Florida State Seminoles. In about 2000 when his son Cody was 8 years old, Chip arranged for Cody to meet Coach Bobby Bowden at a book signing in a book store in Atlanta. Chip enjoyed telling Bobby Bowden how they had met years before and now his son was getting to meet Bobby Bowden. Cody later attended Bobby Bowdens football camp. One of the fondest events in his life in recent years was going with Cody to a Florida State football game in Tallahassee. They had their photograph taken together in front of the statue of Bobby Bowden outside Doak Campbell Stadium and that framed photograph was displayed in Chips hospital room in the Ashley River Tower at the Medical University of South Carolina. He was employed with the Adhesives Division of Sonoco Products Company in Hartsville, SC, when he became ill with Multiple Myeloma in March 2014 (one year with Sonoco as of December 2014). He was greatly loved by his co-workers in the Sonoco Adhesives Division who made a video for him to view in the hospital and had t-shirts made with his name (Big Chip) with the cancer symbol for the letter I in Big and the letter I in Chip. His Adhesives Division co-workers that are able to attend his funeral are asked to wear their Big Chip t-shirts. He was a member of Cedar Creek Baptist Church. He loved living in the home of his paternal grandparents since 2011. He and his special Aunt Elaine Griggs Whittle enjoyed going out to eat and bowling at Lakeview Club of Sonoco Products Company. He enjoyed eating at Westwood BBQ and going there when his son Cody came to visit. Surviving him are his parents of the home next door, son Cody Thyle Griggs of Carrollton, Georgia (girlfriend Kristin Von Pelser, both students at West Georgia University), half-sister Sharon Lynn Parker of Redmond, Washington, sister Lori Ann Griggs of Villa Rica, Georgia, nephew Lazarus Edwin Schechter of Thousand Oaks, CA, niece Eilish Camille Schechter of Thousand Oaks, CA, Aunt Elaine Griggs Whittle (Marvin) of Hartsville, SC, Aunt Sara Gordon Collins (Curtis, deceased) of Lugoff, SC, Uncle Doby Gordon III (Suzanne) of Cassatt , SC, Uncle Gene Gordon (Shirley) of Elgin, SC, and Aunt Charlotte Gordon Morris (William Buster) of Camden, SC. His father Loran Griggs and his special Aunt Elaine Griggs Whittle were with him at MUSC and one of them stayed with him in his hospital room every possible night (unless Cody was there to stay with him) for the entire time Chip was in the hospital at MUSC. On some nights when family members were not permitted to stay in the critical care room with him someone was sleeping in the family waiting room outside the critical care unit on the third floor of the Ashley River Tower. Chip did not want his illness to cause Cody to miss college classes. Chip is also survived by first cousins Phil Whittle (girlfriend Suzanne West) of Hartsville, SC, Angela Collins Ogburn (Barry) of Lugoff, SC, Sandra Collins Watson (Vince) of Camden, SC, Stacey Gordon (Tonya) of Graniteville, SC, Stephanie Gordon Martin (Bradley) of Camden, SC, Ellen Gordon Keefer (Allen) of Camden, SC, Ingrid Gordon Brantley (Dennis), of Elgin, SC, Eric Gordon (Delia) of Reston, VA, Gordon Morris (Susan) of Lugoff, SC and Tarrant Morris (Gabriele) of Florence, SC. He is also survived by his first cousin once removed William Kenneth Huggins (Sheila). Ken and Sheila were his neighbors across the road and were a great help when he first became ill and later when Ken helped provide transportation to Charleston. Chip enjoyed working with Ken in his shop and working on Kens land. Ken and Sheila were also a great help to the family in feeding Chips female boxer, Brandy, and the cats while the family was at MUSC for over two months and with anything else that needed to be done in the house or yard. Chips second cousin once removed, Chris Huggins, also helped feed Brandy and the cats while Chip was in the hospital at MUSC. Cedar Creek Church member Mae Griffitts was also a big help to the family during this difficult time. Members of Cedar Creek Church and Sonoco employees as well as family members and friends were very supportive of Chip and the family during this time and it is greatly appreciated. Chip is also survived by his first cousin once removed Wallace Lee Gainey. Wallace allowed Chip to have a deer stand on his land and Chip enjoyed hearing Wallace tell family stories and Cedar Creek community stories from decades ago. When Chips deer stand was stolen, Reverend Jeff Williams and some members of Cedar Creek Church built a new deer stand for Chip and put it in place. Chip is also survived by his first cousin once removed Zachary Rigby of Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. Chip is also survived by his former wife Amy McWilliams Griggs (her mother Linda Trawick and her step-father James Trawick) of Douglasville, Georgia. Chip is also survived by his former brother-in-law Michael Edwin Schechter of Thousand Oaks, California. Chip had a wonderful life growing up in Cocoa, Florida and Albany Georgia. He was a fan of the 1972 Miami Dolphins which had the only undefeated season in NFL history even though he was only two years old. Family vacations in Florida included going to Disney World in the first few years after it opened, fishing in the surf at Cocoa Beach, and looking for sea turtles on the beach at night (not illegal back then). Chip was in the YMCA Indian Guides in Cocoa and he still had his coup stick with the feathers attached. One memorable family vacation was in 1978 when his grandfather Colon Griggs, step-grandmother Mary Winburn Teal Griggs, and first cousin Phil Whittle came to visit for a week in the summer. They took a local vacation that included fishing in the Flint River in Albany, fishing in a local pond with a snake swimming across the algae covered water, swimming in the cold water of the beautiful Radium Springs in Albany (one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Georgia and the largest spring in the state), going to the Okefenokee Swamp Park in Waycross, GA (seeing a snake handling show in the auditorium and taking a boat tour through the swamp and seeing lots of alligators), going to Westville (a living history museum with a blacksmith recreating 1850 near Lumpkin, GA), and going to an Atlanta Braves baseball game at the old Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium (a parking lot since 1997). Chip loved to eat homemade biscuits that were made by his step-grandmother, Mary Winburn Teal Griggs. Chips father, Loran Griggs, was active at one time in the Hasan Shrine Temple in Albany, GA, and they had fun going as a family to weekend ceremonials. As an older teenager he enjoyed deer hunting with his father, Loran Griggs, in Baker County, GA, and one of the deer heads in his house came from there. The other one was a deer head his Grandfather Colon Griggs had. Chip also enjoyed hunting when he came to South Carolina to visit and later when he moved to SC. Visitation will be at Norton Funeral Home 1414 West Carolina Avenue Hartsville, SC 29550 on Monday December 15, 2014 from 5:00-7:00 p.m. and at other times at the home 5776 Ousleydale Road Hartsville SC 29550. Funeral Director Scott Norton is Chips fourth cousin. Funeral services will be held at Cedar Creek Baptist Church, 1635 Cedar Creek Road Hartsville, SC 29550 on Tuesday December 16, 2014 at 2:00 p.m. with Reverend Jeff Williams of Cedar Creek Baptist Church officiating. Reverend Jeff Williams will be assisted by Reverend Ernest Winburn and Reverend Homer Hinson. Chips son Cody Griggs and Chips friend Reggie Williams will also speak at the funeral. Burial will be in Cedar Creek Baptist Church cemetery where ten of his ancestors are buried (Colon Griggs, Ida Mae Johnson Griggs, Wiley Griggs, Maggie Kelly Griggs, James Madison Griggs, Eugenia Filyaw Griggs, James Tillman Johnson, Addie Grooms Johnson, Will Teal, and Ethelene Williams Teal). Pall bearers will be his first cousins Phil Whittle, Gordon Morris, Tarrant Morris, Stacey Gordon, Eric Gordon, and his friends from Georgia Trey Montroy, Reggie Williams, and Keith Magnun. Memorials may be made to the Cedar Creek Baptist Church Building Fund or the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation at 383 Main Avenue 5th Floor Norwalk,CT06851.