With the 
FORCES
LEAVE:
Pfc. Gordon C. Griffis arrived in Estherville today on a 15-day furlough from Camp Ruckler, Ala. He will spend his furlough with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Griffis, and his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Keeler. His address is: ASN……Co. E. 262 Inf. APO 454, Camp Ruckler, Ala.
Source: Estherville Daily News, October 4, 1944
Estherville Youth Killed After 19 Days Overseas
Estherville, Iowa—Specials: Pfc. Gordon C. Griffis, 19, son of Mr. and Mrs. E.G. Griffis, Estherville, was killed in action in France on January 6, the parents were notified by the war department Wednesday. Pfc. Griffis was overseas only 19 days when killed.
His father, a World War I veteran, is an employee of the express company here. Pfc. Griffis was graduated from Estherville High School. He entered the army in July, 1943 and trained at several camps in the south.
Besides his parents, his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Keeler, and an uncle survive.
Source: The Sioux City Journal, January 26, 1945
OUR NEIGHBORS in the SERVICE
Estherville, Ia.—Memorial services for Pfc. Gordon Griffis, 19, son of Mr. and Mrs. E. G. Griffis, Estherville, killed in action January 6, in Brittany, France, after but 19 days in France, was held here Sunday afternoon in the Presbyterian Church, Rev. Joseph M. Kennedy, officiating. The American Legion will conduct part of the service. Pfc. Griffis is believed to have been the first son of a World War I veteran from this vicinity to be killed in the present war. He went overseas about the middle of last November and was stationed in England for awhile before going into action on the western front.
Source: The Sioux City Journal, April 9, 1945
Gordon C. “Jack” Griffis was born Aug. 16, 1925 to Edward Gordon and Hazel K. Keeler Griffis. He died Jan. 6, 1945 and is buried in East Side Cemetery, Estherville, IA.
Source: ancestry.com
