Obituary of Pershing Griffith

Pershing Griffith, formerly of Decatur, Il, passed away August 31, 2015, just short of his 97th birthday, in Westfield NY. He was the husband of the late Maxine (Grandfield) Griffith to whom he was married for 71 years and who passed away in January 2014. Pershing was born in Hervey City, Illinois, the son of the late Nellie (Buchanan) and Rial "Jack" Griffith. Before and after WWII, Pershing was employed by Mueller Co. retiring in 1983. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in September of 1942 and served in the South Pacific until the end of the war. He remained a very proud Marine until his death. While in Illinois, Pershing was an active member of the Prairie Avenue Christian Church serving as an Elder and also a long time Sunshine Class teacher. He enjoyed the men's fellowship group and excelled at Dart ball. Pershing served as a member of the Board of Directors of the former Mueller Co. Credit Union and was a member of the Golden K and the Stephen Decatur Masonic Lodge in Decatur. He was a volunteer for DOVE, Inc., as well as Meals on Wheels. He was also an avid St. Louis Cardinal fan. In addition to his wife and parents, Pershing was preceded in death by five brothers; Raymond, Eldon "Doc", Floyd, Lloyd, and Kenneth Griffith. He is survived by two daughters: Sandy (David) Brown of Westfield, NY and Vicki (Tom) Dolash of Albuquerque, NM, as well as five grandsons: Derek Dolash of Phoenix, AZ, Seth (Annette) Brown of Arlington, VA, Joshua (Candace) Brown of Sherman, NY, Lucas (Stephanie) Brown of Lakewood, NY, and Justin (Molly) Brown of Mayville, NY. He is also survived by six great-grandchildren: Alex, Alyssa and Kaitlyn Brown of Sherman, NY, and Ariana, Tristan and Caspian Brown of Arlington, VA. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to Prairie Avenue Christian Church, 2201 E. Prairie Ave, Decatur, IL 62521. MASON Funeral Home of Westfield, NY will handle the local arrangements. Memorial service and burial will be in Decatur, IL, where Brintlinger and Earl Funeral Home have made the arrangements. Log on to www.masonfuneral.com to send the Griffith family a message of sympathy, to lights a memorial candle or for further information.