John J. Griffin Sr.

John J. Griffin Sr. Dracut, Courier Citizen retiree, WWII vet; 84 DRACUT John J. Griffin Sr., 84, of Dracut, died Thursday morning, May 14, 2009, in Lowell General Hospital. He was the beloved husband for 61 years of Geraldine E. (Brennan) Griffin of Dracut. Born in Lowell, on April 9, 1925, he was a son of the late Thomas and Elizabeth (Durkin) Griffin. He received his education in the Lowell school system and was a graduate of Lowell High School class of 1943. An honorably discharged veteran, he served his country during World War II as a Signalman Third Class in the United States Navy. He entered the Navy in Newport, RI and served aboard the USS Farquhar in the American Theater and the Asiatic-Pacific Theater. Mr. Griffin had been employed as an Electrotyper for over 40 years by the Courier Citizen in Lowell. After retiring he went into business with his son opening Brite Kleen Dry Cleaners in Dracut where they worked together for 20 years. In his free time, he was an avid sports enthusiast, enjoyed horse racing, and trips to Foxwoods, and cherished time spent in the company of his family. He had a wonderful sense of humor and enjoyed making people laugh. He was a communicant of Immaculate Conception Church in Lowell. In addition to his wife, he is survived by two daughters and sons-in-law, Sharon and Daniel Stagnone and Susan and Marc Salois, all of Windham, NH; a son and daughter-in-law, John J. Griffin Jr and Sherri Atkinson of Dracut; six grandchildren, Jennifer Schommer and her husband, Derrick of Hudson, NH, Amy Salois of Nashua, NH, Stacey Salois of Yukon, OK, Matthew Stagnone of Beverly, MA, Laura Stagnone of Windham, NH, and Caelan Griffin of Orlando, FL; six great-grandchildren, Nicholas, Andrew, Jaclyn, Brianna, Liam, and Joshua; one sister, Eileen Griffin of Florida; and many nieces and nephews. He was also the brother of the late Lorraine, Anna, Joan, Elizabeth, Kathryn, Thomas, James, Warren, Donald and Edward Griffin. GRIFFIN Friends may call at DRACUT FUNERAL HOME, 2159 Lakeview Ave., DRACUT on Sunday from 2 until 6 PM. His Funeral will be held from the funeral home on Monday at 10:30 AM followed by his Funeral Mass celebrated at 12 Noon in Immaculate Conception Church, Lowell. Interment in St. Mary Cemetery, Tewksbury. Those who wish may make memorial contributions in his name to either Boys Town Donor Services, PO Box 6000, Boys Town, NE 68010 or to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105. To send and online condolence or for directions visit www.dracutfuneralhome.com