Obituary of Ian Lee Griffin

Ian Lee Griffin, 27, beloved son of Cisco and Sharon Griffin, departed this life on December 13, 2023 in Melbourne, FL.  He was born in Elkins Park, PA on December 26, 1995 and grew up in Philadelphia, PA, Martinsburg, WV and Melbourne, FL.  Ian was a kind and compassionate soul and friend to everyone he met, but was especially close with Pam Rowlings, his tennis coach, mentor and confidant.  He was a wonderful, loving, compassionate son, who brought joy to our lives.

He always wanted to jump in and help anyone in any way he could.  Ian loved music, web design, building computers, gaming, tennis, cooking, reading, movies, learning new languages, listening to people’s life stories on Discord and developing fictional characters (he wanted to write a book).  His favorite places to explore were the Japanese Pavilion at EPCOT and the Morikami Museum Gardens.  His absolute favorite tradition was having fondue with his parents every Christmas for dinner.  Ian also loved eating at Longhorn Steakhouse, Pollo Tropical, Marco’s Pizza and Meshi Ya (for bubble tea).  When he was young, Ian enjoyed celebrating his birthday at the Rainforest Café, ending with his favorite dessert, “The Volcano”.  Ian loved wolves and collected many wolf-themed shirts, paintings and statues.  He especially enjoyed volunteering for Toys For Tots in Brevard County and worked hard during many Christmas seasons to assist the program in providing toys to children in need.

He is survived by his parents and his brothers: Francisco Griffin, Justin Green, Andrew (Kristen) Green, Matthew Green, Stephen (Kelly) Green and Nicholas (Valerie) Green; one Nephew, Jackson Green and many Aunts, Uncles and Cousins. 

Ian was a valiant mental health warrior and he fought his battles against his illness with strength and dignity for many years.  His struggles with mental illness allowed him to share his experiences with his friends and offer his assistance and strength to ease their suffering.  He was able to empathize with and help many others, but was unable to help himself.  

There will never, ever, be enough words to adequately describe Ian.  We could fill thousands of pages with adjectives about him, but none of it will even come close to describing the person that he truly was.  He fought SO hard, for SO long against the cruel, uncaring, relentless illness that won the final battle with him.  Our only consolation was that God finally reached out to him and said “Ian, you have suffered long enough – come Home”.

We are proud to be his parents and were blessed and grateful to have him in our lives - he will be deeply missed.

A Celebration of Life will be held Wednesday, 2:00pm, January 24, 2024 at Ammen Family Cremation & Funeral Care, 950 Malabar Road SE, Palm Bay.  Burial will be private.