City of Oaks Funeral Home & Cremation
Obituary
James Griffin, Jr.
Durham, North Carolina
Age 63.
Died 02/07/2024.
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.
For additional information or for service details, please reach out to the family directly.
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City of Oaks Cremation and Funeral Home is a full-service funeral home in Raleigh, serving all of North Carolina and beyond. We provide an alternative to costly funeral homes and every day we help families in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and all over North Carolina make simple, affordable funeral arrangements.
Simply having to reach out to a funeral home can feel overwhelming. Our goal is to simplify the entire funeral home experience and make the process as easy as possible. We hope to eliminate any unnecessary surprises by publishing our total cost and the services we provide directly on our website. All of our obituaries are provided free of charge as a way to help families celebrate and commemorate the lives of their loved ones.
Our Promise
Apples to Apples
Just like all other licensed funeral homes in North Carolina, City of Oaks Cremation, LLC is regulated by the NC Board of Funeral Service.
The same laws that apply to the big corporate funeral homes also apply to the modest independently owned firms like ours. All crematories in North Carolina, regardless of who owns them, are inspected annually by the state and must adhere to the same rules and laws.
Genuine Care
We're committed to providing families within our community unsurpassed service before, during and after the time of loss.
Our staff will provide clear communication to your family through each step as we move forward from the original phone call notifying us of a death to the time we deliver the urn back to your family. We will treat your family with the utmost respect, as we honor the wishes of your loved one.
We promise to make this process affordable and as endurable as possible.
State Wide
Our Funeral Home is located in Wake County NC; however, we provide our services to families throughout the entire State.
Unlike other funeral homes, we don't charge an additional mileage fee. Regardless of what county you live in, we can help your family with making simple, affordable funeral arrangements. From Asheville to Wilmington, we're proud to help families statewide.
Our Services
$1196.75
Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. We include everything you need for a simple or direct cremation. Simple, affordable and reliable. We have not changed the cost of our direct cremation service since we opened City of Oaks in 2012.
$2875.66
We offer the option of choosing how you receive your loved ones remains. Selecting our Direct Cremation with Solidified Remains option is a beautiful way to transform cremated remains into 40-60 “stones” that you can hold.
$1917.84
City of Oaks Funeral Home and Cremation provides an affordable cremation option with onsite visitation. Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. Simple, affordable and reliable.
$2497.50
An immediate burial has the same end result as a traditional burial; however, we have eliminated the extra (sometimes unnecessary) services prior to getting to the cemetery. Not everyone wants an open casket for viewing or a limousine for the family. Despite the term immediate, we can move as fast as you need or as slow as you like. This option simply allows you to save money by eliminating some of the fancy extras at the funeral home.
$6081.48
We offer the same traditional funeral services as the big corporately owned funeral homes in the area; however, we cost about half the amount. You might consider a traditional funeral service if your family is looking for an open casket visitation, a traditional church service or a funeral service in the funeral home's chapel. A traditional funeral service can be altered to fit the needs of your family.
$3033.75
This establishment is one of a select number of funeral homes who meet the criteria for providing green funeral service by the Green Burial Council; a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization working to encourage environmentally sustainability in the field of funeral service. Our Green options allow for a funeral to take place without the use of toxic and non-biodegradable materials/chemicals.
$2640.59
As an alternative to traditional cremation, City of Oaks Funeral Home also offers Aquamation. The Aquamation process, often referred to as alkaline hydrolysis, uses a solution of water and potassium hydroxide to facilitate natural decomposition.