James Griffin, Jr.

James “Jim” Griffin Jr, 63, passed away peacefully on February 7th at his home in Durham, NC surrounded by his family, after a 2 ½ year battle with a rare sinus cancer. Jim was born and raised in Netcong, NJ to the late James Griffin and Elvira Bencivengo Griffin. He was a member of the special Class of 1978 of Lenape Valley Regional High School, the first class to attend the newly formed school for a full 4 years. Jim played football, wrestled, and ran track for LVR and will be inducted into the LVR Athletic Hall of Fame with his 1977 state championship football team this March. Jim graduated from Rutgers College in 1982 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and a minor in Business. He was a member of the Chi Psi fraternity.

In 1986, Jim joined the United States Marine Corps. He specialized in computer programming at Camp Pendleton, CA for 3 years. In 1989, he was stationed in Okinawa, Japan as a network operator where he met the love of his life, Dawn. While in the Marine Corps, Jim earned a Good Conduct Medal, a Navy and Marine Corps Overseas Service Medal, and was a Rifle Sharpshooter. Jim and Dawn were married in 1990 when they returned to the United States.

From 1990-1996, Jim worked as a network operator for a defense contractor in Reston, VA, and at the EPA in Research Triangle Park, NC. In 1996, Jim joined the NC Department of Information Technology and went on to serve as a network and security engineer. He was a leader, mentor, and friend during his 27+ years of public service to the state of North Carolina. He touched the lives of many and left a legacy at NCDIT where his keen intellect and expertise played a vital role in providing services to and ensuring the cyber security of the state’s residents.

Jim is remembered by all for his professional achievements and his innate ability to recall technical details, troubleshoot complex issues, and implement cybersecurity protocols for the state. However, it was his kindness, mentorship, dedication, and unwavering commitment to helping others that set him apart. He was an inspiration to many who have had the privilege of working with him. Upon his retirement in 2023, Jim received the Network Star Award – the highest award given for exceptionally admirable service.

Jim’s spirit was ignited by the wonders of nature, from hiking to scuba diving, biking, gardening, and cooking. He would embrace any opportunity to immerse himself in the world around him, traveling to all corners of the world with his wife and family. Jim was always seeking out new experiences and flavors, with enthusiasm and curiosity. More than anything else, Jim’s greatest joy was spending time with his family and friends, creating cherished memories on trips, walking his dogs, or cheering together at hockey games.

Jim leaves behind his beloved wife, Dawn, sons Robert and Brian, grandsons Connor and Law, two sisters, Sharon Mullen (Dave) and Eileen LaBue (Phil), many cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends. Jim will forever be in our hearts for his kind, easy-going personality, his love for his family, his warm blue eyes, and his friendly smile.

A memorial mass to celebrate his life will be held on Friday, February 23, 2024, at 11:00 AM at St Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, 11401 Leesville Road, Raleigh, NC 27617. There will be a viewing and visitation with the family in the church parlor one hour before the mass.

Instead of flowers, the family prefers donations be made in Jim’s honor to the Trust for Public Land at https://www.tpl.org or to the SPCA of Wake County at https://spcawake.org

For additional information or service details, please reach out to the family directly.