Robert Graham Obituary

Surrounded by family members, Robert James Graham passed away peacefully on April 18, 2023 in Spartanburg, South Carolina. He was a proud veteran who lost his final battle due to cancer. He is survived by his wife Annette, his brother Jamie (Gail) and his former wife Joan. He was a proud father to Lindsay (Mike) Foess and grandfather to Amanda, Allison, Vyvyen and Andrew. Rob was predeceased by his daughter Beth (Chris) Adkins, his sister Bobbie and his parents Robert and Vyvyen. Robert came from a military family. Although a proud Canadian, Robert signed up with the U. S. Army where he completed tours in Vietnam with the 5th Special Forces, MACV-SOG, retiring as an E-6 (S/Sgt. ). He was decorated, wounded twice and his missions are well known in the SF circles. He was awarded 5 Bronze Stars (4 with V Device), 2 Purple Hearts, 2 Air Medals, plus several U. S. and Vietnamese service medals. He was also awarded the rare Presidential Silver Pistol Award and was one of the recipients of a Presidential Unit Citation (PUC). He loved the army and his many close military colleagues will be toasting him in their own way. Rob used part of the GI Bill to obtain a metallurgy Engineering degree from Queens University in Kingston, Ontario. He worked underground near Hinton, Alberta, then at Denver, Colorado. He then followed various paths including his own coal mining consulting company in West Virginia, plus many years in the newspaper business under the Gannet Corporation in Virginia, Delaware and New Jersey. After retiring from the newspaper industry, Rob took a variety of roles in many foreign locations including a lead role in constructing the U. S. Embassy in Baghdad. As Rob and Annette settled down, they built a beautiful home in a rural setting near Pauline, South Carolina on the banks of the S. Tyger River. Robert never met a story he couldn't triple in length, had a gift of sharing his heart and perspective, always entertaining family and friends, and never leaving one to wonder where he stood on issues. He inherited the art of embellishment, always amusing, never humble with never ending detail. He did many bizarre but interesting things, including driving alone in a very rusted out Karmann Ghia from Toronto to Mexico, assembled ferris wheels, worked as a brakeman on the railroad, built decks that would survive Armageddon, was Annette's "pool boy," and drove his "meals on wheels" truck (displaying Special Forces badges). He also gave of his time mentoring young soldiers at Ft. Bragg, NC. He made a profound impact on anyone who was fortunate enough to know him and will be deeply missed. Our gratitude goes to the doctors and staff at the Spartanburg Regional Hospital and Hospice Home.