Jerry Lynn Griffin

Jerry grew up in Dallas, graduating from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1963 where he earned all-city football and baseball honors. He went on to play football at SMU graduating in 1967. He helped the Mustangs win the Southwest Conference in1966 and was named all-Southwest Conference heading into the Cotton Bowl. Jerry always looked forward to football season and attending SMU home games. He then played 7 seasons in the Canadian Football League with the Edmonton Eskimos. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears, but the Canadian League paid more at that time! He started working in the off-season selling cars for Carl Sewell in 1971.

He did that for 40 more years before he retired as the General Manager of Sewell Lexus in January of 2011. Jerry was a legend at Sewell, after spending 32 years at the Cadillac store and 8 years at Lexus, setting sales records all along the way, including being the number one Cadillac salesman in the country in 1976. He would always run into people he knew when you were out with him. He would tell you their names followed by what years, make and model cars they had bought from him.

He married his high school sweetheart, Ann Peterson, in 1982, taking on a wife, two very lucky young girls and a dog, and forever altering his 37 years of bachelorhood. In retirement ,Jerry loved spending time at Cedar Creek Lake with Joanie and his grandkids, feeding whatever neighborhood dog, cat or other wildlife that ventured his way.

Jerry was preceded in death by his wife Ann Peterson Griffin and his brother, John Edgar Clark. He is survived by and forever carried in the hearts of his sweetheart Joan Holton; his brother, Reed Griffin (Joanna); his sister-in-law, Charlotte Clark; his daughters, Lisa Becker Milliken (Scott) and Janie Becker Hodges (Dave); and 4 grandchildren, Grace and Colin Milliken and Hudson and Harrison Hodges.

A celebration of his life will be held in the Sanctuary of Highland Park United Methodist Church on Thursday, April 8th, at 3:30 pm, with valet services provided on Bishop Boulevard. COVID restrictions will be in place for distancing, capacity limits and masks. There is a livestream of the service available at https://online.brushfire.com/hpumc/funeral/ . In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Mustang Athletic Fund at giving.smu.edu (214.768.3739) or [email protected] or the charity of your choice.