Donald F. Graves Jr. 1943-2013

Donald F. Graves Jr. passed away on August 21, 2013, he was born in Carlisle, PA to Donald and Virginia Graves. They made their home in Plattsburgh, NY. Don's fondest memories were attending summer camp, enjoying his grandparent's camp on Lake Champlain, scuba diving and playing football in high school. He graduated from Plattsburgh High School and attended St. Lawrence University in New York where he was a member of the Sigma Nu Fraternity until the family relocated to Arizona where he attended ASU for two years. He married his first wife Sandra and worked with Credit Thrift in Prescott, AZ where he was a member of the Lions Club and enjoyed organizing their annual 4th of July Parade. Don's job with Credit Thrift relocated him to the Yakima Valley where their daughter, Kristina, was born in1970. In 1975, they returned to Arizona to be closer to family. Don and Sandra later divorced and Don returned to ASU to major in Computer Science. While Don was going to ASU, he met his wife Susan in the Physics Department. They married in 1978 and moved to Tri Cities in 1979 where they have lived for 34 years.

Boeing Computer Services hired Don in May 1979 at a job fair Don attended in Phoenix. He worked for Westinghouse and Lockheed Martin where he retired in 2003. Don loved camping, fishing, travelling, especially to the Oregon Coast, Victoria and Vancouver BC with family and friends, football and most of all attending the Tri City American Games starting with Season 1 through the end of 2010 season when his health made it difficult to attend. When Don was in better health, we belonged to the Mid Columbia Koi Club and enjoyed the many activities and road trips to Seattle, Spokane, or Portland to buy koi and pond plants. Our travels took us to Vancouver to see the Beluga Whales, White Tigers on the Oregon coast, San Juan Islands whale watching and to Florida to swim with the manatees.

Don is survived by his wife Susan of 35 years and their four cats, Max, Sami, Frankie and Zoey, daughter Kristina Keith Graves Pond, granddaughter Nora Jolie Pond in Arizona, sister Kate Simister in Louisiana, cousins in NY, and our very special Washington family, Bud and Marty Rose, Diane Bonin and sons Chris and Tim.

The family will have private celebration of Don's life with close friends later.