Hello, my name is Emele (Culp) Battle Griffin.

On January 1, 2024, my 26-year-old great-niece was tragically and accidentally shot and killed when her 5-year-old daughter found an unsecured firearm. The shock and pain of her sudden death have been paralyzing for our family.

It’s been over a year, and we are only now facing the harsh truth—we cannot afford the costs that have built up from this heartbreaking event. These include over $35,000 in funeral expenses, legal fees, and a headstone, which she still does not have.

In the aftermath, we learned her life insurance named her young children—just 5 and 6 years old—as beneficiaries. We hired a lawyer to ensure their care and future were protected. Another lawyer helped with her unresolved personal affairs. Still, none of this addressed the growing financial burden left behind. We may need another lawyer because her incomplete death certificate only gives her cause of death as "pending" (?).

She was filled with joy from the time she was a baby. I followed her life after losing my sister (her grandmother) to breast cancer. I remember when we took her to a Tennessee Titans game when she was only 4—she stayed for the whole game. Years later, when she was accepted to Western Kentucky University, my late husband and I made sure she had what she needed to look and feel confident. We lost her before she could finish college, but she was always loved and supported.

Two years after burying my father (a World War II veteran), I suddenly lost my husband (a Vietnam veteran) to cancer. We had just bought a new house. Although a veteran myself, I live on a fixed income and cannot take on these costs alone.

So today, with a heavy heart, we ask for your help.

Your donation will go toward:

Funeral and burial expenses

Legal costs

A headstone to honor her life and memory

If you can give, no matter the amount, we are deeply grateful. If you cannot, please consider sharing this fundraiser with others. Thank you for helping us give her the dignity, peace, and remembrance she deserves.

With love and gratitude,

Emele (Culp) Battle Griffin