Marshville - Mr. Bobby Ray Griffin, 78, passed away Saturday evening, May 30, 2020, at his home. Born June 11, 1941, he was the oldest son of the late Bryant Irvin Griffin and Maude Helms Griffin. Bobby was preceded in death as well by his first wife Patricia (Pat) Howard and brother Earl Griffin. Bobby is survived by his wife of nearly 48 years, Darlene Helms Griffin; son Bryan Griffin, Bryan's wife Tina, and their daughter Brianna of Mountain Home, Idaho; daughter Lisa Gerrard Rochford, Lisa's husband Rev. Dave Rochford, and their sons Ben, Jon, and Alden of Staunton, Virginia; and siblings Irvin Griffin and his wife Diane, Donald Griffin and his wife Susan, Earl Griffin's wife Patsy, Freddy Griffin and his wife Rita, and Barbara Griffin Simpson, all of Marshville, as well as numerous nephews and nieces and their families.

Always a proponent of hard work, Bobby enjoyed a long and varied career. Mowing lawns as a teen and helping his father in his grocery and then furniture and appliance store, he went on as a young man to establish the Dixie Printing Company in 1970, publishing the Marshville newspaper "The Regional News" for almost a decade. He employed his excellent cooking skills (and his own children) for several years at the helm of the family-owned Palomino Restaurant of Marshville. Bobby was primarily a salesman, however. He sold car care products for Classic Chemical, furniture and appliances in the family store in Marshville and an expansion store in Monroe, and art through his and Darlene's company Accessories Direct. These ventures and his love for driving long distances gave him friends across the Southeast.

Bobby was ever community-minded. In the 1960s he became active with Beaver Lane Volunteer Fire Department, serving as its director in 1994 and its president in 1995 and 1996. He was elected town Alderman from 1975-1981 and Mayor from 1981-1989. Bobby's contributions to others were made primarily through his church, though, where he sought out those who needed a helping hand, cooked more meals than one could count, was a Deacon for many years, and more recently was thrilled to hear joyful preschoolers herald him as "Mr. Bobby" as he cleaned the new church building. Those of all ages will remember his distinctively-Griffin good-natured teasing.

A funeral service in celebration of Bobby's life will be held Friday, June 5, at 11 a.m. at First Baptist Church Marshville for members of Bobby's extended family and his church family, with burial to follow in the Marshville City Cemetery. Please exercise your social distancing to your own comfort level. Other friends are invited to join the church service either live or later through online venues (see https://www.fbcmarshville.org/livestream/ for options.) The family would appreciate anyone whose life Bobby blessed to leave a word of remembrance on his obituary page (https://www.legacy.com/).

Special thanks are due to Davita Union County Dialysis and especially his nurse Michelle for their years of excellent care. In lieu of sending flowers, "Mr. Bobby" would be delighted by any memorials made to the First Baptist Church Preschool, to support the children via scholarships and needed equipment.