William Denton Griffin

William “Bill” Denton Griffin passed peacefully into his Savior’s arms on September 11th, 2025, surrounded by his family – he was 94 years old. Bill was born on August 11th, 1931, in Fort Worth, Texas, to his parents Richard Pearl Griffin and Ruth Stoddard Griffin. He grew up with two brothers, Jack & Robert, and a sister, Helen Frances, at their home in Fort Worth, which also doubled as the neighborhood grocery store. From an early age, Bill learned the lessons of hard work and determination while working at the family store, milking dairy cows, and tending to the cotton fields - traits he carried throughout his life and passed on to his children and grandchildren. Bill graduated from Fort Worth’s Paschal High School in 1950, later attending and graduating from Texas Christian University with degrees in Mathematics & Physics. His life forever changed on December 17th, 1958, when he met the love of his life, Joyce Godwin, on a blind date. They married just two weeks later, on New Years Eve - a marriage which lasted 65 years until Joyce’s passing in 2023. Bill & Joyce had two beautiful children, Kimberly & Michael, who were born in California while Bill was pursuing his career in Aerospace & Military Defense with Jet Propulsion Labs at Edwards Air Force Base. Much of what Bill worked on remains classified to this day; however, his most enduring professional legacy was his work building the afterburners for the Apollo 11 mission, enabling US astronauts to “slip the surly bonds of earth to touch the face of God” – whose face Bill is certainly seeing right now.

Returning to North Texas in 1969, Bill & Joyce raised their family in Burleson, where Bill built the family home with his own two hands. He finished his career working with General Dynamics, where he initiated the purchase and installation of the first Cray Supercomputer, enabling the development of the F-16 fighter jet. Upon retirement, Bill’s brilliant mind could never quite rest – he farmed their small property, built tools, made his own wine, painted beautiful Texas landscapes, doted on his precious wife, spent time with their friends, and even opened a pizza franchise with his son.

While co-workers and friends knew him as Bill, his name changed in the 90’s to “Granddaddy”. He poured himself into his grandchildren, lovingly taking any chance to visit, attend sporting or school events, or to simply be a guiding presence. Bill moved to Edmond, OK, in 2004 where he was part of his church family at Crossings Community Church, being a door greeter there for many years. In his later years, Bill never stopped “tinkering”, always enjoying fixing simple electrical issues or working his property with his tractor. His family is grateful for his enduring legacy of hard work and serving others that he passed on to each of us. He was reunited with his wife Joyce in Heaven but leaves behind his children Kim & Walt Jordan of Colleyville, TX, Mike & Denise Griffin of Edmond, OK and grandchildren Taylor & Sheridan Griffin of Dallas, TX, Madison & Dominic Eramo of Austin, TX, Grant Griffin of Edmond, OK, and Luke Jordan of Colleyville, TX, and two great-grandchildren, Ava & Ella Eramo.

The family would like to extend a special “Thank you” to the 3rd floor nurses and staff members at Mercy Hospital of Oklahoma City. In lieu of flowers, Bill would appreciate a donation be made to the Project 66 Food and Resource Center of Edmond.