Elizabeth Nichols Griffin

Elizabeth, originally from Cordova,TN, attended Memphis State and worked for Bell Telephone Company until marrying the love of her life, Neil Griffin, in 1954. They were married for fifty-three years. One of her favorite memories was the surprise Fiftieth Wedding Anniversary Party Neil planned for her in 2003.

Their marriage was a partnership, and they always worked together whether farming her parent’s farm early in the marriage or in their many business ventures. After retiring, they traveled all fifty states in the continental United States and in Canada and Mexico. Together they were faithful members of Bellevue Baptist Church, supported those in ministry there, and began regularly attending the annual Southern Baptist Conventions. While attending these conventions, they became aware of the needs of young ministers attending seminary, and this became the focus of their lives.

After Neil’s death, Elizabeth joined Faith Baptist Church in Bartlett and moved to The Village of Germantown. There she made lasting friends and participated in the various activities offered. She enjoyed hosting birthday dinners in the Monarch Room honoring friends and family. She founded a Memphis chapter of Widows’ Might, a prayer ministry which grew to more than fifty participants, and hosted luncheons at The Village twice a year for this organization.

Elizabeth was currently a member of the Development Council of Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary, and a lifetime member in the J. Howard Williams Society and the Naylor Society at Southwestern Baptist Seminary. In 2017 Southwestern Seminary awarded Elizabeth with the B.H. Carroll Award. This achievement is the highest award given to honorees actively engaged in the life and ministry of Southwestern who have given sacrificial and significant gifts to the seminary and have a life and witness consistent with the Christian mission. Along with others, she helped to provide the original vision for the Baptist Heritage Center completed in 2018.

Elizabeth will be remembered by all as a prayer warrior and a devout Christian who found joy in serving others and encouraging young, aspiring ministers to attend seminary. Her interest and support in Love Worth Finding, Mid-America Seminary, and Sandy Creek Foundation will long be remembered.

To cherish her memory, Elizabeth is survived by her nephews Charles Ray Griffin and William Neil Griffin (Elise) of Memphis and a niece, Carolyn Griffin Keathley (Naymond),of Waco, TX, and numerous great nieces and nephews and her life-long friends, Joyce Rogers and Betty Palmer. Elizabeth was preceded in death by her parents, Lillian and James Nichols of Cordova,TN, her husband, Neil Griffin, a sister, Lorena Nichols Bernard, and a nephew, John Lewis Griffin.

Due to Covid restrictions, a graveside service will be held on Monday, January 4th, at 10:00 a.m., Cordova Community Cemetery, 8707 Fay Road, Cordova, TN.

In lieu of flowers, the family requested any memorials be sent to Mid-American Baptist Theological Seminary and Love Worth Finding Ministry, both located in Memphis.