Ionia County MI Archives Obituaries.....Graham, Harold "Doc" 1982 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/mi/mifiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Sandy Heintzelman sheintz@iserv.net August 12, 2011, 12:44 pm Ionia Sentinel Standard, 18 Sep 1982 Harold “Doc” Graham, long-time Ionia political leader and sports enthusiast, died early Friday morning in Ionia County Memorial Hospital, from post-surgical complications. He was 76. A resident of Ionia for the past 51 years, “Doc” Graham was long associated with the Democratic Party in Ionia City and County and remained active in party affairs until the past few days. He entered the hospital Sept. 11. His interest in Ionia High School sports spanned more than 50 years. He attended home and away football, basketball and baseball games with regularity and last winter said he thought he hadn’t missed a basketball game in 35 years. Graham was honored by the 1981-82 varsity basketball team on March 2 this year when the team presented him with the game ball in half-time ceremonies at Ionia High School during the Rockford game. He was one of the organizers of the Ionia High School Boosters Club when it was formed in 1943 and when it was revived in the mid-1950s. He was an employee at the former Ionia State Hospital for the Criminally Insane (now Riverside Correctional Facility) for 29 years and acquired his nickname “Doc” because of his work. He was the hospital’s laboratory and x-ray technician from early on, later supervised the hospital’s pharmacy, and toward the end of his tenure was the hospital electroencephalograph technician. Graham’s political interests and activities were centered about the Democratic party and interests of state employees at the three Ionia correctional facilities. He was a frequent visitor to offices in Lansing and was known to public officials of both major parties. Graham was an early member and officer of the Michigan State Employees Association, joining first in 1952. He was instrumental in founding MSEA Chapter No. 45 at Michigan Reformatory. He served three years, 1955-57, as a member of the board of directors of MSEA from Region 4, which includes Ionia County, In 1958, he was an MSEA director-at-large, was second vice-president of MSEA in 1960-61 and first vice-president in 1961-62. Born June 11, 1906, in Coleman, Mich., Graham was the son of George and Nellie Dunn Graham. After graduation from high school in Coleman, he attended Central Michigan University, received a teaching certificate, and taught at a rural school in the Coleman area. He entered the U.S. Navy, where he served as a medical corpsman, about 1927 or ’28. He was attached as a medical corpsman to the U.S. Marines during a Nicaraguan intervention in the late 1920s. After his Navy service, he moved to Ionia and started work at the “state hospital” in 1932. Graham was married to the former Virginia Mason in Ionia July 3, 1937. They made their home on North Jackson Street. She survives him. Six children, Daryl and Clifford of Ionia; George of Jackson; Charles, serving in the U.S. Navy; Mrs. Phyllis Larsen of Orleans and Mrs. Janice Morrison of Ypsilanti; one brother, Earl, of Ionia; one sister, Mrs. Esther Haring, of Flint; and 10 grandchildren also survive him. Two sisters preceded him in death. Funeral services will be held Monday at 11 a.m. from the Myers- Roetman Funeral Home, the Rev. Wayne Anderson of Green’s Corners Baptist Church of Belding and Rev. Charlon Mason of St. Robert of Newminster Catholic Church in Ada officiating. Burial will be in Lakeside Cemetery, Lake Odessa. The family will be at the funeral home Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m. A memorial has been established for the Ionia High School Athletic Program, in the care of the funeral home. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/mi/ionia/obits/g/graham16104nob.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/mifiles/ File size: 4.1 Kb