~~William Louis Griggs (“Bill”), 93, of Whippany passed away on February 5, 2016. Friends are invited to visit at Bradley-Braviak Funeral Home on Tuesday, February 9, from 5 to 8 pm. There will be a prayer service at 7:30 pm during the visitation. Interment will be private.
Born in New York City, the son of Odie and Marie Griggs, Bill had resided in Whippany since 1954. A graduate of Tenafly High School, he received his bachelor’s degree from the New Jersey State Teachers College and his master’s from Columbia University. Bill served in the U.S. Navy during World War II on the USS Kephart, where he participated in 11 invasions throughout the South Pacific. He authored two books on his experiences, “Prelude to Victory: The Battle of Ormoc Bay in WWII” and a collection of remembrances in WWII. Director of Choral Music at Millburn Junior High School from 1955 to 1984, Bill was also a private piano instructor from 1956 to 1997.
Bill was the beloved husband of 68 years to Dorothy. He was the loving father of Katherine Griggs, Susan Bailey and her husband Donald, Robert Griggs, William Griggs and his wife Pilar Ramirez and Donna Tokumaru and her husband Glenn. He is also survived by his cherished grandchildren, Wesley and Rachel Bailey and Jaeda and Nate Tokumaru, and his dear sister Gloria Thompson.