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Columbus— Jerry Robert Griffie, Sr., 89, of Columbus, NC, passed away surrounded by love and his family, on February 26th, 2024. Preceding Mr. Jerry R. Griffie, Sr., was his belated parents, John Robert Griffie and Ruth Waldrop Griffie. Jerry was a sweet and fun child and in his teenage years enjoyed racing his classic (and fast) cars down Franklin Boulevard in Gastonia, NC. It was during this time in Gastonia, NC Jerry fell in love and married his high school sweetheart. Their love story lasted 69 wonderful years.

Jerry R. Griffie, Sr. attended NC State University which made him a lifelong Wolfpack fan.  Jerry was a skilled golfer playing in tournaments and even traveling the world to golf at places like Ireland and Pebble Beach. Being an expert fisherman, you could see the huge fish he caught were just as big as the stories he told about catching them. Throughout Jerry’s life he was a passionate classic car collector which earned him first place and vast number of trophies at car show’s he entered. His hobby of car collecting was continued when he refurbished his prized 1950 Chevrolet Green Pick Up Truck, which earned him not only great accolades but also dear memories with his family and friends. A skilled and self-taught artist, Jerry was a talented artist with his greatest artwork being his pencil illustration of his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Known for his handsome head of hair (and subsequently great collection of hats) he was famous for his high-pitched whistle and train noise imitation. You could always find Jerry telling jokes and surrounded by laughter. Jerry was as fun as he was brilliant. He started his career at the Griffie Family owned and operated gas station where he worked with his father and his little brother of ten. Next, he literally shot for the stars by joining an engineering team that designed inventions for NASA at Redstone Arsenal alongside Dr. Wernher von Braun, the father of Rocketing Space Exploration.

During the 1960’s in Huntsville, Alabama, Jerry worked at the Redstone Arsenal Rocket Program and was a celebrated member of the team who designed the Apollo Lunar Roving Vehicle, a battery-powered “Moon Buggy”. The Moon Buggy was used on the Apollo 15, 16, and 17 missions allowing astronauts to travel greater distances in space than ever before. Jerry retired from Westinghouse Nuclear Turbine Plant in Charlotte, NC after 25 years of service. Whether in his flashy car racing in his youth or helping invent faster vehicles used on the moon, Jerry, aka “Fahfadaddy”, remained steadfast on the love he had for his family and his faith.

Surviving Jerry Robert Griffie, Sr., is his wife Bobbie Jean Griffie of Columbus, NC; His son, Jerry Robert Griffie, Jr. of St. Petersburg, FL; his daughter, Jeannie Allison Weber of Gastonia, NC; His brother Michael T. Griffie (and wife Jean); by his four grandchildren, Andrew Robert Weber of Denver, NC, Allison Nicole Weber, of Gastonia, NC, Natalie Ann Griffie (and husband Robert) of Raleigh, NC, and Robert Conor Griffie of Portland, OR, and many nieces and nephews that he adored. Jerry is greatly missed by his family and friends who are honored to carry on his memory and impactful legacy.

A funeral service will be held at 2:00 P.M., Friday, March 1st, 2024, at the McFarland Funeral Chapel, Tryon, NC, with Pastor John Edwards officiating.

The family will receive friends from 12:30 P.M. until 1:45 P.M., Friday March 1st, 2024, prior to the service.

The burial will follow the service and will be at The Pea Ridge Baptist Church Cemetery, in Mill Spring, NC.

An online guest register is available at www.mcfarlandfuneralchapel.com

 McFarland Funeral Chapel
Tryon, NC