Hugh V. Griffin, Jr.

Hugh V. Griffin, Jr., local insurance sales representative, of Cleveland, went to be with his Lord and Savior on Saturday, March 18, 2017 while surrounded by his family.   A loving husband, father and grandfather he enjoyed spending time with his family especially during the holidays when he could play the role of Santa Claus not only for family, but other groups as well.  He had a servant’s heart and was always ready to do what he could to make someone else’s life better.  Hugh was a friend to all who knew him and had many friends.  Many have said he knew everyone in Bradley County and always greeted everyone with a pleasant hello, a smile and most of the time a handshake.  Over the years he may have changed on the outside, but always remained the same on the inside:  fun loving, always a joke or two, caring, a real people person, honest, dedicated and devoted to those he loved.  He loved his family, his friends, his classmates and his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  He loved life. He enjoyed boxing, a love from high school days and was a past member of the Cleveland Bass Masters Club, spending many days and nights on a river somewhere fishing for crappie, bass and spoon plugging.  He was an excellent dancer, smooth and light on his feet and loved to dance, especially with his wife, Charlotte.  Hugh enjoyed meeting with friends for coffee at Hardee’s, which led to the origination of the “Renewal of Friendships” geared toward the high school class of 1957 whom he loved and continued to keep in touch with throughout the years.  They gathered quarterly for 10 years and then once a year another 7 years when his health began to decline.  He also sang with the Roaring 50’s, a group of retirees, who sang at nursing homes, assisted living facilities, churches and also at the “Renewal of Friendships” gatherings.  His reward in this was the joy in the faces of residents of the places they would sing. Hugh loved his country and was a very civic minded individual.  After serving his country in the United States Army for two years, he started his career with Home Beneficial Life Insurance Company for 35 ½ years.  Often, clients confided in him of needs they had in their family and even though he could not personally help he was able to get them in contact with those who could.  These acts continued even after his retirement as his clients had so much faith in his honesty and integrity.  In the past, he was the President of the American Kidney Foundation of Bradley County which provided transportation to and from dialysis clinics as well as providing financial aid to those in need.  He was a charter member of the Cleveland Noonday Lions Club and continued as a member of Cleveland Lions when the two clubs merged.  He was well known in the Lions Club and was devoted to helping children in local schools get their eyes tested and obtain glasses through the club when the need arose.  His reward was to see the improvement in a child’s grades and performance once they received the glasses needed.  He was awarded the Melvin Jones Fellowship Award which is the highest award to be achieved in Lionism. He was born January 30, 1939 in Tracy City, Tennessee and was preceded in death by his father, H. V. Griffin, Sr.; mother, Bessie Mae Patton Griffin; and sister, Glenda Griffin Williams. Survivors include his wife, Charlotte Droke Griffin of Cleveland; children, Kimberly Ann Griffin Shay (Mike) and Chalea Michelle Griffin Terry (Kevin), all of Cleveland; step children, Christopher Bivens (Kim) and Kelly Bivens Maitlen (James), all of Cleveland and Karen Stewart of Colorado; grandchildren, Mallori Terry, Coleton Terry and Darbi Shay, all of Cleveland; step grandchildren, Corey Bivens of Cleveland, Dena Bivens, US Navy stationed in California, Taylor Jewett of North Carolina, Ben Arnold, Brittany Arnold and Jo Arnold, all of Cleveland, Trevor Maitlen, US Navy stationed in Connecticut, Justin Maitlen of New Mexico, Chelsea Gilbert of New York and Moriah Maitlen of Colorado; step great grandchildren, Madison Gilbert and Jostyn Maitlen; brother, Wayne Griffin (Sue) of Murfreesboro, TN; sister, Sherry Russell (Bill) of Duluth, GA; step mother, Linda Griffin of Shelbyville, TN; step brother, Brad Watkins (Julia) of Keslo, TN; step sister, Julie Prater (Wesley) and brother-in-law, Donnie Williams, all of Shelbyville, TN; and several nieces, nephews and cousins. The funeral will be conducted at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 21, 2017 in the chapel of Fike-Randolph & Son Funeral Home with Dr. Sammy Hooker and the Reverend Joe Collins officiating.  The interment will follow in Sunset Memorial Gardens with Buell Connell, Curt Duncan, Johnny Triplett, Charlie Rapier, Mark Lay, Franklin Haney and Charlie Covington serving as pallbearers.  Honorary pallbearers will be C. W. Bedwell, Mary Jane Moore, Kimberly Ledford, Charles Thacker, Jack Hall and John “Bo” Powell.  His family will receive friends from 4:00 - 8:00 p.m. on Monday and one hour prior to the service on Tuesday at the funeral home. The family requests that memorials be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis TN 38105 or Cleveland Lions Club, PO Box 1521, Cleveland TN  37364. The family would like to express their thanks to Dr. Alexander Stratienko, Dr. Suresh Enjeti, Dr. Balram Chhajwani, Nick Nakdimen, N.P. and Dr. Edward McIntire; Gina Moser and the staff at Cooke’s Pharmacy; and the staff of Hearth Hospice, especially Lora Baker for their care and compassion. We invite you to send a message of condolence and view the Griffin family guestbook at www.fikefh.com.