Dr. William H. Graff

Dr. William H. Graff, age 94, of Dartmouth, Massachusetts, passed away peacefully on November 3, 2025. Born in Yonkers, New York, Bill was the beloved only child of Harold and Marjorie (Harper) Graff. He attended Bowdoin College, where he played football and made lifelong friendships. At Cornell Medical School, he met the love of his life, Anne Patterson, a nursing student from Michigan. Bill and Anne were married in 1956, and they were happily married for 65 years. After Cornell, Bill trained at the Dartmouth/Hitchcock Hospital in Hanover, served in the Army Medical Corps, and was a teaching fellow at the University of Rochester/Strong Memorial Hospital before he relocated to Massachusetts to join the Truesdale Hospital and Clinic. He and Anne worked together for many years in Bill’s medical practice. A superb clinician and diagnostician, “Dr. Graff” was the consummate physician. Colleagues and friends will recall the bounce in Bill’s step as he did rounds in a profession he loved. He was first an attending at the Truesdale Hospital, where he became Chief of Medicine and Vice President of the Medical Staff, and then joined the Charlton Hospital. He made home visits, sat at bedsides, and eased the fears of many coping with terminal illness. Bill will be remembered for his dedication to his patients, his deep respect for his co-workers, and his ability to find hope in the everyday. When a nurse who had worked with him recently observed that he had been an “amazing doctor,” he humbly replied, “I had great patients.”

Bill and Anne had four children, Kathryn G. Low (Bill) of Bristol, Rhode Island, Timothy H. Graff (Mary Martin) of Barrington, New Hampshire, William R. Graff of Los Angeles, California, and Marjorie P. Graff of Bristol, Rhode Island. Bill described his children as, “the wonder of his life,” and was a gentle and loving father. Always an outdoorsman, Bill enjoyed hiking, tennis, and golf, and until earlier this year, got on a treadmill or took a walk every morning. He was thrilled ten years ago, at age 84, to sink a hole-in-one during league play. A fan of music of all kinds, Bill listened to and sang everything from the Beatles to Broadway to Verdi. Car trips were often joyful extended sing-alongs.

Bill is survived by his four children, ten grandchildren, and one great-granddaughter. He was predeceased by his wife, Anne, in 2021. The family is grateful for the companionship and support Bill found at the Atria in Portsmouth after Anne’s death, and for his caretakers over the last few months as his health declined. When asked in the last few weeks about the key to his longevity, he responded without hesitation: “Love!”

A funeral service will be held November 17, 2025, at 11:00 AM at Christ Episcopal Church, 57 Main Street, Swansea, Massachusetts. Burial will be private.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Southcoast Health Home Compassion Fund.