Israel Al-Amir Graves, age13, ascended August 9, 2019. He was born December 12, 2005, in Waterbury, Connecticut, the son of Cara Nicole Richetts (Nikki) and Vashon Alvin Graves. Israel, affectionately known as Izzy, attended Southwest Middle School where he was a very social, honors student whose favorite subject was Math. Israel was a mature young man, wise beyond his years. In 2017, Izzy requested to be Baptized at which time he and his mom became members of The City Church in Huntersville, NC. He was quite the mensch.
At first meeting, Izzy would present as soft-spoken and reserved. But once getting to know him, you might witness his handsome smile, infectious laugh, and comedic side. He was playful and had a wonderful sense of humor. Israel enjoyed almost any kind of pizza, gaming on Xbox and Playstation, and virtual reality games. Izzy was a talented artist. He liked to draw and paint with acrylics. Israel recently began to teach himself to play the guitar and the keyboard.
Preceding Izzy is his maternal grandfather, Carl Bernard Wilson, and his paternal grandfather, Ellihue (Al) Graves. He is survived by his parents Cara Richetts of Charlotte, NC and Vashon Graves of Irvington, NJ. Izzy is also survived by his maternal grandmother, Theresa Richetts (Glam-ma) of Statesville, NC and his paternal grandmother Barbara Jones (Me-Maw) of Albany, GA. In addition, memories of his life will be cherished by his Godmothers Charlotte Freeman of Newark, NJ and Rashelle Crawford of Statesville, NC, siblings, and a host of aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends.
Homegoing services are handled by the McEwen Funeral Service-Pineville Chapel, 10500 Park Rd Charlotte, NC 28210. Calling hours will be Friday, August 16th from 3pm-4pm and services to celebrate Izzy’s life will be held at 4:00 pm, immediately followed by a light reception. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider donating to the 100 Black Men of Greater Charlotte (https://100blackmenofcharlotte.org/), Hometown Heroes (http://htheroes.org/), Martin Truex Jr. Foundation (https://www.martintruexjrfoundation.org/), PinkySwear (https://www.pinkyswear.org/), or Children’s Cancer Partners of the Carolinas (https://www.childrenscancerpartners.org/).
Israel touched the lives of many and will truly be missed by all. David Hampton (Paw-Pa) would always say, Israel was “loved more than money and longer than time".
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