James Henry Graham

James Henry Graham, affectionately known as Jim, passed away peacefully at the age of 90 on September 5th, 2025, at the Foothills Hospital. He will be profoundly missed and fondly remembered by the many people he touched throughout his long and remarkable life. Jim is lovingly remembered by his wife Darlene; his children Allen (Lorraine), Marna (Mark), and James (Alexis); his grandchildren Gordon (Elyse), Matthew, Bradley, Arianne, and Robyn (Christian); and his great-grandchildren Waylon and Elwood (Woody). He was predeceased by his mother Lily and father Dave, his brother Robert and sister Diane, and his in-laws, Allen and Margaret Berrington. The family extends their sincere thanks to the staff at the Foothills Hospital for their kind and affectionate care at the end of his long and well-lived life.

Born in 1935 in Lucky Lake, Saskatchewan, Jim was the eldest of three children to Lily Kallio and Dave Graham. From his Scottish-born father, a fierce labour and trade union leader, Jim inherited a profound sense of community & duty that guided him throughout his life. His mother, Lily, of Finnish descent via Coteau, Saskatchewan, instilled in him honesty, humility, practicality, and the resilience required for life on the Canadian prairies.

Joint explorations with brother Robert around Diefenbaker Lake, Luck Lake and Birsay set the stage for adventure, already in planning when sister Diane joined the family in 1947. Having witnessed the major global events of the 1930s and 40’s Jim developed an abiding passion for human potential, which shaped his fierce advocacy for women, for the underprivileged, for equality and for Canada.

Upon moving to Edmonton, where his father’s civic leadership emerged, Jim cultivated cherished friendships and found work in the Calder railyards. From Edmonton his ambitions spied both north and south. North, where he served as purser on the Radium King on Great Slave Lake. South, where he found his greatest romance and home in Calgary, upon meeting Darlene Berrington. Their rapid ascent to true love and comfort led to what Jim considered his most treasured creation – his family: Allen (1961), Marna (1964), and James (1966) joining Darlene deep in his heart.

Jim chronicled the foundations of his family and the community it grew within through art and action. He pursued artistic expression at the Provincial Institute of Technology and Art and duty with the Calgary Highlanders while working a variety of jobs to support the young family.

Jim was a prolific artist, of sculptures, paintings, and mostly pen and ink drawings. He commanded a legion of characters, coaxed into existence to watch over his family, his home, and his community. As a publisher, Jim left millions of imprints. From his invention of the Glendale Thumper to serving his long tenure as resident artist at the Roughneck Magazine, where he produced 25 years of covers, cartoons, and features. His syndicated illustrated trivia and editorial cartoons appeared in newspapers and magazines, and his art formed the basis of the family t-shirt business, with his creations worn by tens of thousands of people.

Jim's community engagement was legendary, and he found great joy serving as mentor and coach to the hundreds of kids who skated on his many teams.

Joy is the enduring quality, exposed by his quick wit and infectious laugh, his inside jokes and his endearing and silly nicknames for all of his closest companions. He shared his love for comedy, for art and for so much music. Jim could whistle the melodies for all of it, and harmonies for most.

Jim was a lover of animals, and the family assumes that he is currently surrounded by the many dogs and the one cat who are also primary characters in his story.

He was his own creation, molding himself by his passions. A global thinker, it was in Calgary where Jim truly rooted himself in Darlene, his family, his community, and his work.

Jim's giant heart, amazing output and history of invention – of new characters, new features and new ideas - will be deeply missed and fondly remembered.