Alex Junior Graehling

He grew up on a farm in Dixon, Lee County, Illinois. He completed primary and middle school at Hazelwood School in the 1930s, and graduated from Dixon High School in 1942. Alex is a veteran of the Korean War. He served honorably in the U.S. Army from 1949 to 1952, and was stationed in Alaska. He was an expert marksman, and among his other duties in the army, was a rifle sharp-shooting instructor.

Alex was the owner, operator, and auto mechanic of the Graehling Conoco Service Center in Lincoln, Nebraska from 1952 until 1956. He married Nello Speidell in 1952, and by 1958, they had moved to Denver, Colorado and were the proud parents of two daughters and a son. The marriage didn’t last as they’d hoped and they divorced in 1963. He was working as a rate auditor for a trucking company at that time, and he began taking night classes and studying to advance his career.

It was at work where he would meet his second wife, Esther Jo Burns (Jo). They were married in 1967, and soon after, the night classes paid off and he was promoted to traffic manager for TIME-DC trucking company. His job relocated him to Lubbock, Texas in 1969. Alex and Jo lived in Lubbock until their retirement in 1991. They had been planning for their retirement for many years, and always knew they would return to Colorado. In 1992, they moved to Grand Junction, Colorado. After Jo passed away in 2007, he stayed active in his church, maintained connections with friends, and continued to keep busy with activities he loved.

It was square dancing where he met Wilma Dean Kennedy. Love blossomed and they were married in 2013 when Alex was 88 and Wilma 85. Alex and Wilma enjoyed a quiet life together until her death in January 2020.

Soon after, the pandemic hit, and Alex’s quiet life was not unlike that of the rest of the world’s population. His daughter, Glynda, moved to Grand Junction in 2021 to live with him and be his constant companion, as well as his caregiver as needed.

Alex lived to celebrate his 97th birthday. He died peacefully at home with his daughter by his side on February 23, 2022. Alex was a member of St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church. He enjoyed camping, bowling, square dancing, traveling, fishing, hunting, target shooting, woodworking, gardening, and spending time with family and friends. He was a very hard-working, hard-playing, loving, and caring person. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

Survivors include his daughters, Nerissa Mullin of Wellington, CO and Glynda Zook of Grand Junction, CO; grandsons, Alex Zook (Monica) of Fountain, CO and Sam Zook (Ashlea) of Norman, OK; great grandchildren, Elijah, Cassidy, and Avery; brother, Jack Graehling of Saginaw, MN; and numerous nieces, nephews, and step-children and their families. Preceded in death by his wives, Wilma and Jo; a son, Houghton Louis Graehling; a sister, Rose Marie Wynne.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, June 4, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church, 632 26 1/2 Road (Horizon and 7th St.). A luncheon will follow.

Memorial contributions may be made to Abode Hospice, 744 Horizon Ct., Suite 135, Grand Junction, CO 81506 or BrightStar Care of Grand Junction, 715 Horizon Dr., Suite 300, Grand Junction, CO 81506. Arrangements are under the care of Callahan-Edfast Mortuary.