Thirteenth Generation

231. Gary LaVern GRIGGS was born on 8 Dec 1940 in Tomah, Tomah Township, Monroe County, WI.^{64,141,147,245} He was born in an apartment above Vlasek's Bowling Alley (on the kitchen table) at 210 Superior Avenue in Tomah, WI. According to his birth announcement, he weighed 7 pounds and had "dark hair and dark eyes."

On February 23, 1941, he and his mother went to Milwaukee to join his dad, who had gone there for work. He and his parents lived with one of his dad's cousins, Helen (Vandervort) Borchardt, and her husband, Art, at 1036 West Brown Deer Road until November 1941. They then lived in an apartment at 620 North 26th Street in Milwaukee until his parents bought a home at 2240 South 55th Street in West Allis in July 1942. He lived there until after he graduated from Central High School in June 1958.

He attended the University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee for one semester, until he joined the Air Force in February 1959. He was stationed in San Antonio, TX; Biloxi, MS; Alaska (3 1/2 years); and Germany.

He met his wife Barbara while he was stationed at the National Security Agency at Fort Meade, MD, in 1963. They met in June, were married in September, and were then stationed in Darmstadt, Germany for three years. Their daughter Jennifer was born in 1965 while they lived in Germany.

In August 1966 he was discharged from the Air Force and returned to the UWM, where he received a bachelor's degree in Accounting in 1969. Their daughter Allison was born in 1968 while they lived in Bay View, a suburb of Milwaukee.

In June 1969, he went to work for Uniroyal, Inc. as an internal auditor in Detroit. He served on the Audit Staff for three years and then became the assistant controller at Uniroyal's Tire Plant in Detroit. Their daughter Stephanie was born in 1969. Gary and Barbara bought their first home in Southgate, MI, in 1970. Their son Jon was born while they lived there, in 1972.

In 1976, after receiving his MBA from Michigan State University, they moved to Eau Claire, WI, where he was the Assistant Controller and then Controller at another of Uniroyal's tire plants. In 1980, he was transferred to their Opelika, AL, tire plant, where he also served as Controller. In 1983, he was transferred to Columbia, SC, where he was the Division Controller for Uniroyal's Industrial/Textile Division.

In 1986, Uniroyal sold its operations in SC, and Gary left the company to join Fortune Personnel Consultants, an executive search firm in Columbia. He worked for Fortune until 1996, when he left to start his own search firm, Career Concepts Group.

In February 1999, Barbara and Gary moved to Pawleys Plantation in Pawleys Island, SC. He continues to run his business from his home there.

While their children were young, Gary was very active in their children's school and church activities. He also enjoyed boating and camping with them. After they had grown, he enjoyed playing golf, with special highlights being a golf vacation in Scotland in 1998, playing in the Mercedes Golf Championships in Hawaii in 2000, and a golf vacation in Ireland in 2001. Other hobbies are computers, genealogy, and spectator sports.

He is very active in St. Peter's Lutheran Church, having served as president of the Congregation for two years, as a member of the Finance Committee for many years, and in other church organizations. He is also active with Habitat for Humanity and serves on the Board of Directors of the American Red Cross of Georgetown County.

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He was christened on 25 Dec 1940 in Tomah, Tomah Township, Monroe County, WI.^212,245 at St. Paul's Lutheran Church. His sponsors were his grandmother, Lydia Pergande, and an uncle, Fred Vandervort. He was confirmed on 16 May 1954 in West Allis, Milwaukee County, WI.^208,246 at Nain Evangelical Lutheran Church.

Gary LaVern GRIGGS and Barbara Sharon Lee SERP were married on 7 Sep 1963 in Glen Burnie, Anne Arundel County, MD.¹⁸³ at St. Paul's Lutheran Church by Rev. Paul Dannenfeldt.

. Barbara Sharon Lee SERP (daughter of John Joseph SERP Sr. and Katherine Mary KUTCHER) was born on 10 Dec 1943 in Baltimore, Baltimore County, MD.^147,247 She was christened on 2 Jan 1944 in Baltimore, Baltimore County, MD.^64,247,248 at St. Adalbert Catholic Church. Her sponsors were Norman Serp (a brother of her father) and Barbara (Serp) Shade (a sister of her father).

Barbara was born in the Curtis Bay section of Baltimore, MD. She and her family lived at 1415 Cherry Street and 4916 Pennington Avenue. She attended the #208 grade school. When she was twelve years old, she, her brother Jack and her parents moved to Glen Burnie, MD, where they lived at 239 St. James Drive. She later attended Glen Burnie High School, and, after graduating, she attended Baltimore Business College.

In June 1963, she met her husband, Gary. After their marriage they moved to Germany, where he was stationed in the Air Force. Their first home was an apartment in Greisheim, just west of Darmstadt, and they later lived in the Lincoln Village housing area near Ernst-Ludwig Kaserne in Darmstadt. Barbara was very active in the Protestant Women of the Chapel, served as a volunteer in the Air Force wives' Family Services organization, and worked in the school library. Their first daughter, Jennifer, was born while they were in Germany. Barbara was able to travel to Holland, Belgium, France, Switzerland, and Austria while in Europe, and she enjoyed frequent day-trips for picnics on the Rhine River.

In 1966, they returned to Wisconsin, where Barbara helped put Gary through college by working as the Office Manager for Arlan's Department Stores. In addition to doing the bookkeeping for the store in Milwaukee, she traveled to Atlanta and Rockford, IL, to help the company open new stores. Their daughter Allison was born while they lived in Bay View, a suburb of Milwaukee.

In 1969, they moved to the Detroit area, where they lived until 1976. Their daughter Stephanie and their son, Jon, were born while they lived there. They first lived in Taylor and then bought their first home, in the Old Homestead section of Southgate, MI. Barbara was very active in the children's school, Christ The King Lutheran school, as well as their other activities.

In 1976, they moved to Eau Claire, WI, where she was again very active in their church school at Epiphany Lutheran. She also worked part time at the Eau Claire County Court House for the Clerk of Court and she took some classes at the University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire.

In 1980, they moved to Auburn, AL, where she became active in their church, Trinity Lutheran, and she began her career in real estate sales at Henderson Realty.

In 1983, they moved to Columbia, SC, and Barbara continued her career in real estate by working for Bob Capes Realty for ten years. In 1993, she was recruited to work for Re/Max Midlands Realty. She was consistently one of the highest-producing real estate agents in the Columbia area, and was very active in the Board of Realtors' activities. She was also an active member of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church.

In 1999, they moved to Pawleys Island, SC and she continued her real estate career at Coldwell Banker Chicora Real Estate. In October 2002, she joined Re/Max By The Sea Realty. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Coastal Carolina Association of Realtors, and was selected for the Realtor Image Award in October 2004.

Barbara's current home is located in Pawleys Plantation and she is very active at St. Peter's Lutheran Church, having served on the Congregation Council and in other organizations.

Barbara's prime interests have been the lives of their four children, their eight grandchildren, and her brother Jack's family in the Baltimore area. She loves to travel, with highlights having been trips throughout Europe, and vacations in the Bahamas, Bermuda, Cancun, Key West, New York City, New Orleans and Hawaii. She also loves to keep in touch with the many, many friends that she has made wherever she has lived.

. She received first communion on 20 May 1951 in Baltimore, Baltimore County, MD.²⁴⁸ at St. Athanasius Catholic Church. She was confirmed on 22 May 1955 in Baltimore, Baltimore County, MD.²⁴⁸ at St. Athanasius Catholic Church. She graduated in 1961 in Glen Burnie, Anne Arundel County, MD.⁶⁴ from Glen Burnie High School. Gary LaVern GRIGGS and Barbara Sharon Lee SERP had the following children:

+295	i.	Jennifer Eileen "Jenny" GRIGGS.
+296	ii.	Allison Suzanne "Ali" GRIGGS.
+297	iii.	Stephanie Blair "Stephie" GRIGGS.
298	iv.	Jon LaVern GRIGGS was born on 17 Jul 1972 in Wyandotte, Wayne County, MI.147 He weighed 8 pounds, 3 ounces and was born at 5:26 P.M. As he was growing up, he lived in the Detroit, MI suburbs; Eau Claire, WI; Auburn, AL; and Columbia, SC. He attended grade school at Epiphany Lutheran School in Eau Claire and at public schools in Auburn; middle school in Auburn and in Columbia; and high school in Columbia. He was christened on 13 Aug 1972 in Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, WI.212 He was confirmed on 12 Apr 1987 in Columbia, Richland County, SC.208 at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church. He graduated in Jun 1990 in Columbia, Richland County, SC.249 from Spring Valley High School. He graduated in Aug 1996 in Columbia, Richland County, SC.249 from the University of South Carolina, with a bachelor's degree in Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Administration. After graduation, he served an internship with the Crowne Plaza Resort on Hilton Head Island, SC. In 1997, he became the VP/General Manager of Tavern on Greene, a college bistro in Columbia, and he managed the rock group, "King Hippo." In October 2003, he passed his state insurance exam and became an Account Representative for AFLAC Insurance in Myrtle Beach, SC. In June 2004, he became a Moving Consultant for Nilson Mayflower Van and Storage in Charleston, SC. In September 2005, he passed his real estate exam and began to work with his mom as a real estate agent at Re/Max by the Sea in Pawleys Island. .