Thomas E. Griffin Obituary
Thomas Edward Griffin passed peacefully on June 23, 2025, at Lahey Hospital in Burlington, having suffered a major stroke and heart attack two weeks earlier.
Tom was born in Gloucester, MA on April 28, 1945, the second child born to Edward Owen and Irene (Corcoran) Griffin. Tom attended St. Ann's Grammar School for 8 years and graduated from Gloucester High School with the Class of 1963. Growing up in Gloucester, Tom had a love for the beach, Little League Baseball and small outboard motorboats.
After high school Tom joined the U.S. Air Force and completed his basic training in Amarillo, TX, before being transferred to Plattsburg, NY. Following his time in the Air Force, Tom returned to Gloucester, where he spent his working years at the Gloucester Department of Public Works. Tom was a hard worker and had no fear of heights. In addition to DPW, Tom had his own side business doing private jobs involving tree work, where he would use metal spikes to climb the trees as opposed to using a bucket truck.
Like so many of us, Tom has faced many challenges over the course of his 80 years on this earth. He recently celebrated more than 50 years of sobriety through his time in AA. Through this process Tom also found his soul mate when he met Patti Mills at a meeting in 1988. They had their first date at Momma Rosa's in Boston, which kicked off 37 years of love, friendship and a lot of spaghetti and meatballs during this time. Tom would bring Patti to daily Mass at the Carmelite Chapel. He was the best man Patti had ever met, and he will be deeply missed.
Tom is survived by his partner of many years, Patti Mills, his sister, Jeanne (Griffin) Smith and her husband Allyn, four nephews, Chip, Dan, Jim and Steve Smith and one niece, Karen Smith in addition to many grandnieces and grandnephews. In addition to his parents, Tom was predeceased by his nephew, Michael Smith, and his niece, Catherine, Smith.
Services will be held privately. Patti and the Smith family wish to thank people for their kind words and condolences.
