Obituary of Edsall Mitchell "Ed" Graham

Heavenly Father; To our Mom, my sister, my brothers, nieces, nephews, family, relatives and friends. Today, we gather together to celebrate the life of Edsall Mitchell Graham, a son, brother, beloved husband, father, grandpa, brother in law, uncle and a friend to all. Remembered as Dad or grandpa to our family, but known as Ed to most others. We remember our dad as an extremely humble and honourable man who would avoid the limelight and if he knew we were holding this ceremony in his honour, he might not have attended. Dad was born on March 8, 1928 in Tisdale, Saskatchewan, but was raised in Sylvania, a small farming community nearby. Dad was the second of three children born to Edsall and Elizabeth Graham. Dad attended the Allendale School in Sylvania, a very small one-room building for all grades. In his early years, dad worked on the family farm, alongside his parents, brother and sister. In his mid-teens, dad began to work in the logging industry in Manitoba and was eventually the reason he ended up moving to Prince George, BC. Dad moved to the Peace country in 1956; worked at the WAC Bennett dam; later drove truck for Cyril Chapple; owned/operated a grain/vegetable farm 7 miles down the Peace River; supervised the move of a sawmill from Mackenzie, BC to Taylor which was the beginning of Peace Wood Products. In 1991, he retired after 23 years as the Planer superintendent. Dad knew the importance of hard work and regardless of position, always strived to be an equal to his colleagues. Dad felt honoured to serve 25 years on the Taylor Volunteer Fire Department. Most recently a resident of the Peace Villa Care Home, but a lifelong resident of Taylor. Dad passed away peacefully on Wednesday, December 7 at the age of 88 with his loving family at his bedside. In dad's early years, he played many sports, but hockey was by far his favourite. It was the love of hockey where he became a lifelong fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Dad would escape to the bedroom to listen to the hockey games on the radio, then TV came along and Heaven forbid anyone change the TV channel while he was sleeping in his favourite chair. Dad, later went onto coach sports his children played in and was a devoted fan of his children and grandchildren. Dad loved playing the fiddle and would do so at family gatherings or community dances, but this love of playing was 'cut short' when he lost the end of his index finger in a planer accident. Dad is survived by his loving wife of 58 years, Juanita Graham; his children Tom Graham; Loren Graham; Shane (Joyce) Graham; Shelley (Jeff) Gies; Mark (Terri) Graham; 6 grandchildren; 7 great grandchildren; sister, Audrey Reid, brother in laws; Bob and Judy Mitchell, Walter and Mary Mitchell, many nieces and nephews. Dad was predeceased by his parents, Edsall and Elizabeth Graham (parents), Harvey Graham (brother), Tyler and Chantel Graham (grandchildren) and Marilyn Smith (daughter in law). Service 2:00 pm Wednesday, December 14, 2016 Taylor Community Hall 9896 Cherry Avenue West TAYLOR, British Columbia, Canada