Max Everette Griggs, 79, of Pensacola, FL passed away Tuesday, October 29, 2024.

Max was born on October 3rd, 1945, in Pahokee, FL to Edna May Upthegrove Griggs and Ralph Griggs. Max was the youngest of three brothers after Larry Phil Branch and Blanchard Neil Branch. Max spent his youth hunting, fishing, and exploring the Northern Everglades and the rivers and flats around Stuart, FL. In 1963, he graduated from Martin High School and went to work with Grumman helping to build aircraft. While at Grumman, Max enrolled in Indian River Community College and earned his associate in arts degree. After community college, Max and his parents moved to Archer, FL and he enrolled at the University of Florida, where he earned his bachelor's degree in agriculture. He often stated that he was the first in the family to complete college and kill a deer with a bow. Max continued with the University of Florida and earned his master's degree in Soil Science. In 1975 he moved to Pensacola, FL with his mother and began work for the University of Florida Institute of Food & Agricultural Sciences as an Extension Agent/Agronomist in the Escambia County Office. As part of his extension work, Max lectured as an Adjunct Professor with UF. Max ran soil testing labs and shared his expertise with farmers throughout Northwest Florida and Southern Alabama. His work led to significant expansion in aquaculture for the region and long friendships in the community. Max would often hunt on the land, receive fresh produce, and attend ceremonies of the farmers he had helped over the years. In the late 1980's Max would start his own serious agriculture venture with the Touch-a-Blue Blueberry Farm in Molino, FL. In 1988 he would meet and then marry Johana Moelyono, who moved in and helped with the early planting. In 1990, Max's son, Ivan Everette Griggs, was born. Touch-a-Blue Blueberry Farm went on to grow as a you-pick farm with over 3,000 berry bushes ready for picking in the Summer, and Muscadine grapes for harvest in the early Fall. In the early 2000's, Max retired from his work with the Extension Office, but continued to manage his farm for the Summer, hunt in the Fall, and raise his son. In 2016 he sold Touch-a-Blue Blueberry Farm to new owners and moved to Pensacola permanently, in part to care for his mother. He continued to terrorize redfish, trout, bass, bream and croakers in the Escambia Bay estuaries and inlets as long as he could. Max loved the outdoors all his life and always found the means to stay close to the mangroves, swamps, rivers, plains, pines, deer, turkeys, doves and other vivid living movements of nature. Max took pride in his education and learning. He savored full use of a broad vocabulary and designed, then created many unique tools for the farm and regular use. He was an excellent carpenter and craftsman, once even building his own wooden flat bottom boat, which he used to gig frogs in the Allapattah Flats outside Stuart.

Certainly, and without refutation Max Everette Griggs loved, and was loved, by his mother and father, brothers, son, cousins, nieces and nephews, and friends.

He is preceded in death by his brother, Larry Phil Branch and his mother, Edna May Upthegrove Griggs.

Survivors include his brother, Blanchard Neil Branch and wife Gloria; sister-in-law, Carol Branch; his son, Ivan Everette Griggs; as well as many cousins, nieces, and nephews.

A Memorial Service will be 11:00am Saturday, February 22, 2025, at Harper-Morris, with Rev. Mike Mashburn officiating.