Thomas R. Griffis

Thomas R. Griffis, 83, of Elkhart, died early Thursday afternoon, May 15, 2008, in the emergency room at Elkhart General Hospital.  He had been in declining health for years. He was born on May 9, 1925, in Stearns, Kentucky, to Dennis Robert and Lottie (Hughes) Griffis.  He married Betty Zane Morris on March 4, 1947 in Kincaid, West Virginia.  She survives. Mr. Thomas has lived in Elkhart County since 1962, coming from Middletown, Ohio.  He worked as a painter for Holiday Rambler until his retirement in 1977.  He was a member of the Grace Baptist Church, Bristol; and a life member of the Goshen DAV. Mr. Griffis was a proud World War II veteran and he earned two Bronze Star Medals and the Purple Heart for injuries he received during that time.  He was one of the first soldiers to hit the beaches of Normandy, France in June 1944, and when he was interviewed by The Truth prior to his presiding over the Elkhart Memorial Day Parade in 1994, Thomas was quoted as saying “Bullets were flying all around me and I was scared to death.”  Following the Allied victory at Normandy, Thomas and his battalion fought at the Battle of the Bulge, helped to liberate the city of Paris, and he was a member of the 9th Armored Division that captured the Remagen Bridge in Germany, which, according to the newspapers of the day, turned the tide of the war in Europe. He is survived by his wife, Betty; a daughter, Gloria Byrd of Elkhart; a son, David (Deborah) Griffis of Elkhart; three grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren and three great-great- grandchildren; and a twin sister, Dora Christina Todd of Charleston, West Virginia. He was preceded in death by a son, Thomas R. Griffis, Jr. in 1977; seven brothers, and four sisters. Friends may call 2 to 6 p.m., Sunday, May 18 at Yoder-Culp Funeral Home. A Monday, May 19, 2008, funeral service is set to begin at 10:00 a.m. at the Grace Baptist Church on the corner of CR 8 and CR 17 in Bristol.  Pastor Michael Quiery will officiate. Military graveside service and burial will be in Oakridge Cemetery, Goshen. Memorial contributions may be made to the Goshen DAV.