James Eugene “Gene” Griffin , 88, passed away on September 5, 2014. He was the only child born to Ausborne O. Griffin and Delia Thrash Griffin on August 11, 1926. After moving to and growing up in Houston, he quit high school to join the Navy, met a tiny Czech girl, Evelyn Marie Repka, married and was promptly shipped out to serve in World War II. He was also a veteran of the Korean Crisis. Gene and the family began a business, Griffin Custom Draperies, serving many clients in River Oaks. He was a self-taught accomplished artist of landscapes and still life, working in oils and water colors. He never met a camera he couldn’t figure out. As he would say, he paid for “a lot of rice and beans” for his family while working for many years at Cameron Iron Works. After his retirement, granted his high school diploma from Jeff Davis High School in 2005. Gene is survived by his wife of almost 70 years, Evelyn; daughters: Sharron “Pinkie” Strom and husband Dave, and Shana K. Griffin.
