J W "Dub" Graham

Dub was preceded in death by his sons, Byron David Graham and Gregory Allen Graham, his parents, Naomi Dunlap Graham and John William Middleton Graham, and his siblings, James Durette “Jimmy” Graham, Floyd Jackson “Jack” Graham, Elizabeth Lanell Massingil, William Udell Graham, Hope Marie Weaver, and Joe Bybee Graham.

Dub is survived by his wife Rosanne, children Dale Graham and wife Teresa of Vidor, Patti Darst and husband Tony of Baton Rouge, Chris Graham and wife Amy of Kingwood, and Brad Graham, and grandchildren Leah Graham Birkby, Aaron Graham, Chelsea Graham, Erica Riggs, Sarah Darst, Nathaniel Graham, and Graham Darst, as well as 6 great-grandchildren.

The family moved from Hubbard to Beaumont, TX, and Dub attended school at Ogden Middle School and eventually St. Anthony’s High School, where he became a member of the Catholic Church. Following graduation from high school, Dub enlisted in the United States Army, where he became a member of the Army Military Police while stationed in Germany. Following his discharge, he returned to Beaumont and started a family and a business.

The first business was an automotive shop named Custom Automotive, opened with his brother Joe, which worked on Volkswagens, which were rising to popularity in America. Eventually Dub and Joe branched out on their own, and Dub continued with Custom Automotive, and Joe started Gulf Automotive, both still focusing on servicing VWs. The business eventually changed names to Dynamic Machine Works, where the focus was on reconditioning Volkswagen engine parts and sending them out to shops across the United States. If you see a Volkswagen part that is stamped with “DMW” in a triangle, that part was reconditioned in Dub’s shop. The “shop”, as it was affectionately termed, was located at 2155 Park Street, near the intersections of Park St. and Railroad Avenue. This became a family business as Dub’s children were all employed there in some fashion before it closed doors in the late 1980’s, as part of an effort by the state to change the routing of Railroad Avenue as part of trying to plan for the future of the city of Beaumont. Following the closure of the shop, Dub found a second career late in life working for Texas Department of Corrections, first at the Stiles Unit and then at other facilities in the area. He was affectionately known as “Paw Paw” by his fellow guard co-workers.

Dub loved sports, and especially loved the Dallas Cowboys and the Houston Astros. Watching the Astros rise to being a championship team in recent years brought him great joy. In addition to watching sports, there was one sport that Dub loved above all others, and that was roller hockey. Dub played with the Port Neches Nighthawks and became a United States champion and one of the best goalies in America. He played on two world teams, and traveled to Portugal and Argentina to participate in the roller hockey world championships. Dub was later inducted into the United States Roller Sports Hall of Fame for his achievements playing roller hockey. Another reason that roller hockey brought him so much joy was because he also got to play it alongside his sons for several of the years that he played.

Dub was not only a talented machinist and athlete, he was also able to play multiple stringed instruments, including the guitar, the banjo, and the mandolin. These brought him much joy and relaxation, and he was especially fond of country music.

One of Dub’s great traits was his sense of humor and his booming laugh, which brought smiles to many, especially his family and friends. This will be greatly missed in the days, months and years to come, but the memories of Dub and his love for life will forever bring comfort for those left behind.