John Frederick “Fred” Graham, 74, passed away unexpectedly at his home in New York City. Born on January 10, 1944 in Chattanooga, Tennessee; he was the son of the late Lucious Graham and Mattie Freeman Graham. He is survived by his four sons: Shawn Graham (and wife Mechell), of Los Angeles, Steve Graham (and wife Patti), of Raleigh, Scott Graham (and wife Kristen), of Raleigh and Daniel Graham (and wife Tesie), of Santa Clarita, CA and by nine grandchildren along with many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. He was the brother of the late Lucious Graham and Oscar Graham. He is survived by brothers James Graham and Rudy Graham and sisters Alfreda Brown and Dorothy Graham.
Fred is an Army Veteran and lived a very full and active life. After watching Jean-Claude Killy in the 1968 Winter Olympics, Fred became a downhill skier and was a popular fixture on the local mountains of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York. Fred stood out not just as one of the few African American skiers, but for being so graceful that other skiers would stop to watch and admire his form. In later years he became just as avid about cross country skiing and during winter snowstorms he would share photos of him skiing around NYC and Central Park.
Always active, Fred’s other interests included running, biking, roller blading, swimming, and walking. He started running during the running boom of the 1970’s and was a member of the prestigious “Jersey Shore Running Club”. Fred ran in more marathons and road races than can be counted. After interest in running waned he biked more. He would bike from Manhattan to New Jersey, across bridges, along country roads and back again. When he wasn’t biking he might be found swimming or walking around Central Park taking photos of beautiful flowers. Fred was very proud that this past winter he was able to “get back on the mountain” and downhill ski after not being able to do so for quite some time due to injuries.
Fred loved living in New York City where he was the unofficial “Mayor of Turtle Bay”, but he also loved traveling and frequently visited Ghana and Norway. A light traveler he would leave for a 2 week trip to Elmina, Ghana with only a small duffel bag and a shoulder bag. And the contents of the duffel bag were entirely for the schoolkids in Elmina. His trips to Elmina were not just for pleasure but a labor of love. Fred gave his time, money, heart and soul to the community in Elmina, Ghana. Donating his time, energy and self to help create ways for this community to educate their children and inspire them to learn and grow. He worked closely with Tomorrow’s Stars and Nsoroma Africa Foundation for many years and is truly a part of the Elmina community.
Fred’s four sons and nine grandchildren were his pride and joy. Even though they were not always close in distance, Fred always kept up with all of the latest happenings and milestones through social media and was the first one to pick up the phone to personally congratulate, send well wishes and find out more. And he ALWAYS ended that phone call with “love you”.
Family will receive friends on Saturday, November 17, 2018 from 12 noon until 1:30 pm at Mitchell Funeral Home (7209 Glenwood Avenue in Raleigh, NC). Funeral Services will begin at 1:30 pm in the funeral home chapel.
In lieu of flowers, Donations can be made to Tomorrow’s Stars https://tstarsorg.wordpress.com/please-donate/ https://www.facebook.com/Tomorrows-Stars-236297579749799/ Or Nsoroma Africa Foundation (Solomon Ewusie) https://paypal.me/pools/c/89AqD21OR5
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