Jesse B Griffin Jr., 86, of Junction City, Kansas passed away on Monday, March 18, 2024 at Valley View Senior Life Center surrounded by his loving family.
The family will receive friends 3-4:30 p.m. Sunday, March 24, 2024 at the Johnson Funeral Home. A funeral service will be held 11 a.m. Monday, March 25, 2024 at Johnson Funeral Home with his close friend and Pastor Rob Boyd officiating. Burial will follow the funeral service at Kansas Veterans' Cemetery with Air Force Honors.
Jesse was born July 23, 1937, in Yolyn, West Virginia, the son of Jesse and Virginia (Jackson) Griffin, Sr.Jesse's father was a coalminer, and a carpenter. They had 9 sons total, oldest being Thomas (Clarice), Jesse Jr. (Dorothy), Jerry, (Bonnie), Edmund (deceased, widow Lynn), Sug, Johnny (Vickie, deceased), and Jim, deceased and 2 sons who died as infants.Jesse’s first job at 9 years old, was paper carrier. Jesse attended Chapmanville High School West Virginia, graduating May, 1956, excelling in sports. He worked at Morrison’s Drive In as car hop and short order cook throughout high school. The day after graduating high school, joined the Air Force, did training at Lackland, Texas, and Denver, Colorado, then in fall of 1956 stationed at Nellis Air Force Base, Las Vegas, Nevada. There he met his future wife of 66 years, Dorothy Head. They were married February 14, 1958 in Henderson, Nevada. May 1960, after being released for Air Force duty, he moved his wife, baby son Scott, to Cabot, Arkansas to live near Dorothy’s maternal grandparents, and attend Eaton Barber College in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he graduated head of his class, 4 weeks early. Dorothy’s grandfather owned a small barber shop in Cabot, and Jesse worked Saturdays and got on the job experience. Jesse moved his family back to Las Vegas in 1960, and worked in barber shops til 1965, when he opened his own barber shop, Jesse’s Barber Shop, working until 2015, when he sold it, but stayed on as an employee until 2020, when he became ill, moved with his wife to Junction City, Kansas, to be near family, who loving cared for him until his death on Monday, March 18, 2024. Jesse was a Christian, serving as a deacon, First Baptist Church Las Vegas, then later member of Green Valley Baptist Church, Henderson, Nevada. He was a sportsman; hunting, fishing with his family, water skiing Lake Mead, playing basketball for the church, coaching Little League when his sons were young.Jesse was much loved by his customers, and is written about in a book by Paul W. Papa, (son -in -law to a longtime customer), “Discovering Vintage Las Vegas” on Amazon.Jesse was barber to UNLV ball coaches and loved UNLV, attending all basketball games (he was partial to basketball) befriending the players, inviting them to his home, and thoroughly enjoying his favorite team, as well as the coaches who became more than customers, they were lifelong friends. He never missed a Running Rebels game!In addition to his barber shop, late 1970’s early 1980’s, Jesse and Dorothy had one of the first deep soil extraction carpet cleaning businesses in Las Vegas, Modern Way Carpet Cleaners.
Jesse is survived by his loving wife, Dorothy Griffin of Junction City, Kansas; one son, Jesse Scott Griffin of Wewahitchka, Florida; two daughters, Betty Griffin of South Hill, Washington and Tina Lial of Junction City, Kansas; four brothers, Thomas (Clarice) Griffin of Las Vegas, Nevada, Jerry (Bonnie) Griffin of Las Vegas, Nevada, Loren "Sug" Griffin of Las Vegas, Nevada and Johnny Griffin of Las Vegas, Nevada; three grandsons, Jason Griffin and Ricky Lial (Monica) both of Junction City, Kansas, Mykee Jones (BreAnn) of Puyallup, Washington; one granddaughter, Roxanne Pakeman of Junction City, Kansas; many great-grandchildren.He was preceded in death by his parents; one son, Jerry Allen Griffin; one grandson, Jamie Jesse Griffin; two brothers Ed and Jim Griffin.