Darrell Gene Griffin

Darrell Gene Griffin died Aug. 26. He was 75.

Griffin was born in Evansville, Indiana, January 9, 1946, to Jewel and Doris Griffin. On Jan. 28, 1966, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy as a submarine electronics technician and attended the Naval Nuclear Power School class of 1968. His duration of service was six years with three years of foreign/at sea service. He served aboard the USS Henry Clay.  While enlisted he earned a National Defense Service Medal, Good Conduct Award, and a Meritorious Unit Commendation. He was honorably discharged on Sept. 16, 1971.

On Feb. 15, 1969, he married Kathleen Brown in Absecon, New Jersey. The pair eventually settled in Livermore, where he began his career at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in nuclear defense. During his career at LLNL he often split his time between LLNL and Pantex Defense Nuclear Facility in Amarillo, Texas where he worked on a nuclear decommissioning program as part of a multinational treaty. He retired in 2007 after 25 years of service as an information system security officer overseeing classified computers and the information exchange of classified information.

Hel is survived by his wife Kathleen, his children Patti Griffin (Manteca), Darrell Griffin Jr. and wife Catrina Griffin (Stockton), and Christine Griffin (Santa Barbara). His grandchildren, Mark Otvos and fiancé Nicole Cederquist (Manteca), Tyler Pilliod and wife Christina Pilliod (Modesto), Alannah Griffin (Lodi), and Cara Griffin (San Jose). He is also survived by his great grandchildren and two siblings, Donna Griffin and Roger Griffin of Washington. He was preceded in death by his parents Jewel and Doris.

The family will hold a celebration of life to honor his memory in spring of 2022. Everyone who remembers him is asked to celebrate his life in their own way, raising a glass of their favorite drink in his memory.