Thomas Fred Griffin

Funeral services will be held on Friday, April 24, 2026 at 2:00 PM at Elliott-Hamil Funeral Home 5701 US Highway 277 S. In Abilene, Texas 79606. Interment will follow in Cedar Gap Cemetery where he will be laid to rest next to his wife.

Thomas was born on March 9, 1942, in Clinton, Oklahoma and was an only child to the late Fred Griffin and Loris (Saunders) Griffin. He was raised in a loving Christian home and wanted to be a missionary after he graduated high school, so he attended the historic Moody Bible College in Chicago where he ended up meeting his first wife, who he went on to have three children with. After moving to Texas from Oklahoma, he was successful in the Airline Industry working for Braniff International, Western Airlines and ended his career managing a couple of FBO's. He married Patty Nelbach in January 1979 in Reno, NV. They had moved from Texas to Reno in 1979 and together they created many special memories. They later moved to Abilene to be close to his wife's sister in 2012, then moved to Lewisville, TX in 2021 to be closer to their children.

The seeds of faith were planted in Thomas's life by his parents. He took his own journey in life and in later years experienced a renewed faith. He will be remembered as someone who loved nature, to hunt, fish, and reload his own bullets.

Thomas is preceded in death by his parents, Fred and Loris Griffin; and his wife, Patty Griffin.

He is survived by his children, Kristy Moore, Stephanie Russell, Steve Griffin, and his stepdaughter's Charlotte Batch and Mary Graff; his grandchildren, Karen Robinson, Nicholas Moore, McKenna Andrews, Jessica Griffin, Jordan Griffin, Stephanie Batch, Sarina Merchant and Jeremiah Graff; 6 great grandchildren with 1 more on the way; 1 sister-in-law Shirley Adkisson and other family and friends.