Cameron Elliott Graham Jr died unexpectedly but peacefully on Saturday, November 10, 2018 at his home in Santa Fe, NM with his beloved wife, Linda. Cameron was the first child of Cameron Graham, Sr and Francis Shook Graham Imlay. Born in Corinth, Mississippi on April 3, 1944 and growing up in Central and South Texas, Cameron fell in love with the wild west and everything big… big country, big ideas, big
accomplishments and big art. He is preceded in death by his Father, Cameron; his brother Mark Graham, and former wife, Sharon Chapman.
He is survived by his cherished wife, Linda Edwards Graham; his dear mother, Francis Imlay; his sister Candy Garrison, her husband Jim Garrison, and their children, Barrett Garrison and wife Mary Jo Garrison and their children Holten and Gage; Ann Marie Untermeyer and her daughter Stoney; Maggie Docherty and husband Logan Docherty and children James and Charlotte; his niece Erin Graham and sister-in-law Candy Lapham.
Cameron lived in several places in his early life as his father and mother pursued his father’s petroleum engineering career after WWII, but mostly grew up in Houston, Texas where he made lifelong friends who remained close throughout life. He attended Texas Tech University as a freshman but was happy to see Lubbock in his rearview mirror as he left to attend the University of Texas at Austin.
Graduating with a Fine Arts Degree from The University of Texas at Austin, Cameron started his
early career as an illustration artist for a global oil company producing graphic portfolios for
multiple companies in a wide variety of industries. His creative talent knowing no bounds, he
built the catering business his mother had started into Graham Catering, a prestigious hospitality business in Houston, serving many thousands of events over fifteen years. Cameron’s flair for preparing fine foods served with unmatched artistry earned him the opportunity to serve several US presidents, Royal families, and many of Hollywood’s most famous. His food was featured in the movies “Terms of Endearment” and “The Thief Who Came to Dinner.” During this same time Cameron co-produced Tony Award-winning plays on Broadway including “Grease” and “Agnes of God.” Cameron escaped his hectic life every chance possible by making nearly 100 trip to his cherished U.S. and British Virgin Islands, establishing life-long Caribbean friends.
Feeling the wanderlust to leave the frenetic pace of Houston and New York, Cameron opened a cooking school in Zihuantanejo, Mexico. At Villa de la Rocha Cooking school, a beautiful tropical beach home, he served and taught guests the cooking style of Mexico’s Pacific Coast. In a short three years, his school was recognized by Food & Wine Magazine of Canada as one of the top three cooking schools in the world. This is where he perfected his cook book “Cookin’ Hot in Zihuat!”
Returning to his beautiful family ranch in the Texas Hill Country, Cameron concentrated on attending every possible UT Longhorn game and his passion for painting life sized portraits of Native American Indians and the old west. After his marriage in 2010 to Linda, the love-of-his-life, he continued to paint from his studios and homes in Santa Fe, NM, and Double Oak, TX. Most recently he added strong women of the west and casual modern cowboys along with a repertoire of tropical paintings of his treasured Virgin Islands from his more recent times there with Linda.
Cameron will be remembered for his quick wit, constant sense of humor, devotion to friends, amazing physical strength, focus on living joyfully and artistic talents. The world held greater joy when he was with us but he left it more beautiful for all who knew him.
The family welcomes everyone to the services and visitation. In lieu of flower, please make donations to the Community Foundations of the Virgin Islands at www.cfvi.net/donate or a charity of your choice.
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