WILMINGTON — Harry Duncan Griffin, Jr., a devoted son, father, grandfather and loyal friend passed away on April 13, 2026, after a lifetime of service toward others.
Son of Lucy May Griffin and Harry Griffin, Sr., Harry was born on May 4, 1950 in Wilmington, NC (He would often brag about being one of the few true Wilmington natives).
Harry was a member of First Christian Church where he worshiped his entire life and served as an elder and choir member. He was proud that his grandmother Lizzie Marshburn was a founding member of the church.
A lover of the beach, Harry was a member of the Hanover Seaside Club, where he spent many summers creating memories with his family since he was a little boy.
Harry was a Wildcat since he was little, going to nursery school at New Hanover High School, then Chestnut Elementary and finally attending high school at New Hanover in the graduating class of ’68. While at New Hanover he played saxophone in the marching band, played football and was awarded the Wallace West Sportsmanship award. He treasured many of those fellow Wildcat friends and teammates throughout his entire life.
After graduating from New Hanover, Harry attended UNC Chapel Hill where he played in the marching band and firmly established his love of all things Carolina. While at Carolina, Harry was in the ROTC, preparing for his commission into the US Navy. Upon graduation, Harry proudly served in the Navy for three years on the Franklin D. Roosevelt aircraft carrier.
Following his time in the Navy, Harry started his career in education, first as a teacher at Atkins High School in Winston-Salem and then returning to his alma mater, New Hanover High School as a social studies teacher. (He often referred to this time as the “Welcome Back, Kotter” phase of his life.) While at Hanover, he was also a football coach where he formed so many great relationships with his players and fellow coaches.
It was during this time that Harry met the love of his life, Millie Willey on a blind date. He said he knew instantly that he would spend the rest of his life with this firecracker of a woman (and 46 years later, he was proven right!). Millie was the perfect match for Harry, and they would create a wonderful life together with their two children, Will and Beth.
Following his teaching at New Hanover, he spent the rest of his time in education as an assistant principal at Laney High School, Topsail High, Burgaw Elementary, Topsail Elementary and South Topsail Elementary. During those 31 years as an educator, he touched so many lives of students, parents and fellow faculty members.
After retiring from education, Harry worked for Bruce Cavenaugh Automart and Parkway of Wilmington as a courtesy driver. He loved this line of work as it enabled him to interact with all walks of life, connecting people not just to their destination but also on a personal level, reconnecting with friends, former students and colleagues (not to mention it gave him a chance to complain about the Wilmington traffic, one of his favorite pastimes.)
During his retirement he also found his love of performing with the Thalian Association. He appeared in several plays including Annie, The Buddy Holly Story, Oliver, Miracle On 34th St., Big and Bye, Bye Birdie. These performances allowed him to show off his amazing singing ability (even though he was the first to admit he couldn’t dance worth a lick). But most importantly he loved meeting new people and sharing camaraderie with all the cast and crew of these productions. He also filled his retirement days by volunteering at Cape Fear Hospital and New Hanover Regional Medical Center, where he was proud to accumulate 4,261 hours of service over a period of 11 years.
He loved helping and connecting with all the people who would come in everyday for treatment. His love of helping other people extended to his friends and family including the family at First Christian Church, where he became famous for his outreach to people who needed help, whether in hospital care, undergoing treatment or to homebound members of the congregation. (This was a continuation of his Uncle Paul T. Marshburn’s legacy, who was also well known for his service to others in the congregation and community).
Harry was a man of many talents, but his greatest talent was that of a husband to Millie Willey Griffin, a father to Will and Beth Griffin and “Pap-Pap” to Miller, Griffin, Charlie and Jack. He always showed up to anything his family was a part of, cheering them on through countless baseball, soccer, basketball and football games, dance recitals, plays, karate tournaments, band performances and anything else that his loved ones were participating in.
Harry is predeceased by his parents, Lucy May and Harry Griffin, Sr.
Harry is survived by Millie Willey Griffin, wife of over 46 years, daughter Beth Griffin (of Wilmington), son Will Griffin and his wife, Rachel Citron (of Cary) and his grandchildren, Miller Palanza, Griffin Palanza, Charles Palanza and Jack Griffin, cousins Beth Bell and Tommy Marshburn, his goddaughter Drew Pridgen as well as all his loving Willey family who took in this only child and made him one of their own.
We can all hope to live by his model of service and love of others.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to First Christian Church of Wilmington and Camp Caroline.
