Edwin Griffith, 69, ‘soul-winning’ minister

Edwin and Myra Griffith got married twice.

The first time was in 1958. In the early 1970s, they divorced. Mrs. Griffith of Woodstock said she prayed for two years and three months that they’d reunite.

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Edwin Griffith, minister of evangelism and prayer at Woodstock First Baptist Church, traveled the world on missions.

“I prayed for the Lord to bring [Mr. Griffith] home to him first and then me,” she said. “He went to a crusade in Russell, Ky., and made a profession of faith. That was in July 1977. We had a marriage ceremony on Oct. 15, 1977. The Lord restored our home.”

Edwin “Dale” Griffith, 69, of Woodstock and formerly of Ashland, Ky., died Saturday of pancreatic cancer at Holzer Medical Center in Jackson, Ohio. The funeral is 11 a.m. Tuesday at Unity Baptist Church in Ashland. Steen Funeral Home of Ashland is handling arrangements. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Oct. 4 at First Baptist Church of Woodstock.

The Griffiths’ daughter, Marla Haller of Jackson, said she remembers kneeling beside their mother, next to her brother, to pray for a reunion. It was a challenging time, but she said today she harbors no resentment toward Mr. Griffith.

“With their separation,” Mrs. Haller said, “I felt the hurt and resentment. But once I became a Christian and gave my life to the Lord, all that started to melt away.

“And it continued to melt away.”

Sports helped.

She played high school basketball. Mr. Griffith, who had attended Southwestern Louisiana University on a basketball scholarship, offered pointers. He also umpired college baseball for schools such as Marshall University in West Virginia and the University of Rio Grande in Ohio. Sometimes, his daughter accompanied him.

“I would go to the baseball fields for him and be the bat girl,” she said. “It was neat to be in the dugout and see my dad umpire. If there were a disagreement on the field or in the stands about a call, it was nothing for him to eject them from the game or ballpark. He was a rules-book man, through and through.”

He was a Bible man, too. Mr. Griffith held three degrees, including a doctorate in biblical studies. He was in the ministry full time since 1990, and in 1994 was named minister of evangelism and prayer at First Baptist Church of Woodstock. He served as an adjunct professor at Luther Rice Seminary University in Atlanta. He traveled the world on mission trips to countries such as Kenya, New Zealand, Brazil and Venezuela. Often, Mrs. Griffith was by his side.

“He could witness to a telephone pole if he thought he could lead it to the Lord,” his wife said. “He was a soul winner.”

Other survivors are a son, Gregory Alan Griffith of Destin, Fla.; two sisters, Gaylena Griffith Slone of Ashland, and Loleda Griffith Staten of Cumming; three grandsons; and a great-grandson.