Cary Griffin, 1943-2022

Sep 1, 2022

Cary Lee Griffin (78) of Forney, Texas, went to be with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on August 2, 2022, at Baylor Medical Center in Dallas with his wife, Judy, by his side.

Cary was born October 13, 1943, in Glendale, California, to Art Griffin and Gene (Crozier) Griffin. Because he was born with glaucoma, at 3 months old, Cary had one eye removed. The doctors thought removing the affected (left) eye would prevent the spread of glaucoma to the other eye, but despite their efforts, the remaining eye developed the disease. Cary never had dual eyesight. Despite the eyesight limitations and the other health challenges he faced, Cary lived his life to its fullest.

Cary attended the University of Missouri Journalism School and was initiated into the Delta Sigma Phi fraternity on February 3, 1963. He later graduated from UCLA with a bachelor of arts in English.

He met the love of his life, Judy Price, while attending the University of Missouri, and they married on August 22, 1970, in Rockwall, Texas. They enjoyed nearly 52 years as husband and wife. In one of their final conversations, Judy told Cary that she did not think they had more than 10 arguments during their marriage. Cary replied, “No, Judy, I don’t think there were more than five.” The two of them were inseparable.

After Cary and Judy married, they moved to Forney in August 1972 and bought the Forney Messenger in October of that year. Their first issue was printed on October 15, 1972. Throughout the years, Cary and Judy covered the community and schools for the newspaper to keep the public informed of numerous events and meetings. “Hoppin’ Around with Cary” was Cary’s weekly editorial column where people could read about his thoughts on a variety of topics. Under their leadership, the Forney Messenger provided scholarships for graduating seniors and supported the Forney Education Foundation.

Cary and Judy retired February 1, 2018. They sold the Forney Messenger after Cary’s eyesight diminished and other health concerns made it difficult for them to continue their work. They missed working at the newspaper and regularly seeing people with whom they developed relationships over the years.

Cary and Judy loved to travel. Their membership in the National Newspaper Association gave them the opportunity to visit Cuba twice before most Americans were allowed to visit the country. They also traveled to Spain and other countries with NNA. They attended many newspaper conventions in cities throughout the U.S. They were also members of the Texas Press Association.

Cary’s love of children was well known. For more than 25 years, he spent many hours volunteering with the pre-K students at the local elementary schools. He volunteered for many years as a Girl Scout leader of the Forney Troop. He shared stories and sang songs with the children, even when his health was not good. His work with children brought him great joy.

For Cary, reading books was a source of enjoyment. His favorite topics included religion, politics, science fiction and history. After losing his eyesight, Cary was able to listen to audio books from the Texas State Library for the Blind’s Talking Books Program. Cary was very nostalgic in that he collected recordings of his favorite television shows, movies and music from his childhood and young adulthood.

Cary served as director of the Forney Education Foundation and was the all-community member representative for the Forney ISD District Education Improvement Council. He was a charter member of the Forney Lion’s Club. Cary was named Citizen of the Year in 1983. He and Judy were named Citizens of the Year in 2019. In 2019, Cary and Judy were named lifetime members of the Forney Chamber of Commerce. Cary and Judy both served as directors of the Chamber of Commerce and were members of the Forney Preservation League.

When Cary was diagnosed with lung cancer, it was kept stable for a long time using chemo pills. In his last few months, his treatment was changed to using conventional chemotherapy. The last dose weakened Cary to the point he could not fight the onset of pneumonia. He was placed in hospice care August 1 and passed away the next day.

Cary was preceded in death by his parents, Art and Gene Griffin, and his father-in-law and mother-in-law, W.J. and Cora Price of Rockwall, Texas.

Cary is survived by his wife, Judy, and his sister, Leslie Griffin Lawson of Montana. He leaves behind many friends who will cherish his memory.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Cure Glaucoma Foundation, 10740 N. Central Expressway, Suite 300, Dallas, TX 75231 or First Presbyterian Church of Forney, P.O. Box 98, Forney, TX 75126.