John Edward Griffin, M.D. 83, passed away August 14, 2010. He was born December 31, 1926 in Grand Prairie, TX. He was the son of John Early and Lillian Fay Bussey Griffin. John is survived by his much loved wife of sixty-one years, Virginia Claire (Smith), and three children, Rev. Brenda Warren (husband Harvey), David Griffin, J.D. (wife Becky), and Dr. Paul Griffin (wife Jennifer) and seven grandchildren--John and James Warren; Lindsay (husband Ryan Craig), Jeffrey and Byron Griffin; and Michael and Patricia Griffin. He is also survived by sister, Marie Haynie (husband Edward) and their two daughters and four grandchildren. His childhood years were spent in Abilene, Texas and he graduated in 1943 from Abilene High School. John had a life-long love for his Lord Jesus Christ and was baptized at age ten at University Baptist Church in Abilene. He served in the U.S. Army and played the tenor sax and the clarinet in the Army Band. While attending Hardin-Simmons University he met his bride and he played in "The World-Famous Cowboy Band." He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1948 with a degree in Pharmacy. John was honored in the summer of 1999 as one of the only 56 registered pharmacists with a current license for 50 years. His pharmacy practice having been in Abilene and Dallas, Texas. After graduation from the University of Texas at Southwestern Medical School in 1956, and after several years in General Practice in Winters, Texas where he also served on the City Council, he completed a Residency in Radiology at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, TX in 1963. His Radiology practice was initially in Marion, South Carolina and the surrounding areas, but mostly was in Dallas, Texas and later in the Vernon, Texas area. Until shortly before he went to his Lord, his practice was at the Dallas VA Hospital. A long time member of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, he served on the Board of Deacons for over forty years. He was honored to have served as a Trustee of Criswell College. John was a member of the Texas Medical Society, the American College of Radiology, and had a current license with the Texas Board of Pharmacy. He was a man of strong faith, moral character, and compassion with a good sense of humor. He was a person of powerful prayer. John served as a Sunday School Teacher of junior-aged boys and sang in the church choir under the leadership of Leroy Till. On a mission trip to South Korea with his wife and others of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, his ideas of mission work were changed. He also enjoyed many trips overseas with his family, including a visit to Israel. John will be missed greatly by his family, his friends, and those whom he ministered to through humor, prayer, and medical healing. Funeral service will be held 10:00 a.m., Wednesday, August 18, 2010 in the Heritage Chapel at First Baptist Church, 1707 San Jacinto Street, Dallas. The service will be followed by a visitation in the Heritage Chapel from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Interment service 1:00 p.m., at Hillcrest Memorial Park in Dallas. Memorial contributions may be made to the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention in Richmond, Va. or to the First Baptist Church, Dallas Building Fund.