Warren Paul Griffin

Warren Paul Griffin, 91, of Orange passed away at his home Sunday, April 7, 2013.

He was born April 10, 1921 in Hollywood, California to Walter and Ida Griffin. Warren spent his young years helping his folks and two older brothers, Elliot and Phil with the family's goats and dairy, and later, while attending Hollywood High School, during the Depression years, he assisted his dad with a landscaping business in the Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Santa Monica areas. The business' clients included a number of celebrities, which led into a side business for Warren, where he would chauffer the "stars" to weekend retreats in the mountains, desert or hot springs spas. He spent the first two years of World War II as an Accountant at a canning factory in Alaska, then returned to California for the remainder of the war to work on B-29 aircraft at Lockheed.

After the war ended, Warren met and married Judy, finished college and earned his degree and credentials and began teaching hearing impaired and deaf children in elementary school with the Los Angeles Unified School District. He and Judy raised two children, Sue and Steven.

In addition to already having a son-in-law, Jim Cook, he met and married Dottie in October, 1974, where he acquired twin daughters, Gail Meehan and Sharon Vick, two sons-in-law, Ken Meehan and Doug Vick, a little granddaughter, Jennifer Vick, and lots of relatives in Texas and Louisiana, as well as the twins' relatives in Wisconsin and Michigan. Another granddaughter, Hannah Vick was born in 1978 and a grandson, Lucas Meehan was born in 1980.

After 30 years of teaching, Warren and Dottie retired and moved from California to Orange, Texas in 1981. Warren embraced the southern way of life, the people and all that his new home had to offer. He gave back, too, never stopped learning or "teaching" - He was involved in Friends of the Library in Orange, The Gideons, he sang with the church choir, he painted, he sculpted, he read, he played the violin, he acted in the local theater, he taught English as a second language- he would do "projects" with youngsters in the neighborhood. During the summer months, and because the daughters and families were out of state, Warren and Dot would drive north to Wisconsin and Michigan, and for a time North Carolina, all to be with the twins, grandchildren, in-laws, nieces, nephews and friends. Their lives up north, or wherever all the children were, paralleled that of Orange, busy, active, involved and have left us all with years and years of wonderful memories.

Warren was preceded in death by his wife, Dottie in 2009, and more recently by his son-in-law Jim Cook in 2011.

He is survived by his daughters Sue Cook of Arcadia, California, Gail Meehan and her husband Ken Meehan of Menomonie, Wisconsin, Sharon Vick and her husband, Pastor Doug Vick, granddaughters Jennifer Taylor and her husband LTC Curtis Taylor of Hoenfels, Germany, and Hannah Vick of Altoona, Wisconsin, and Grandson, Lucas Meehan and Angie Dahl of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, Great Granddaughters Natalie and Meredith Taylor of Hoenfels, Germany, Ciarra Meehan of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and two Great Grandsons, McKoy and Korbin Meehan, also of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and many nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews who remember him with love.

Friends are cordially invited to a visitation with the family from 2:00-3:00 PM, Sunday, April 14, 2013, at Faith United Methodist Church, 8608 MLK Drive, Orange, TX 77632 with a funeral service at 3:00 p.m. Interment will follow at Lee Cemetery in Vinton, LA.