DONALD W. GRAHAM

DONALD W. GRAHAM, age 95, retired Assistant Chief, City of Lakewood, Division of Fire.

Being a Graham has always been a badge of honor for our family. Our dad, Donald Werner Graham, was born on July 14, 1930, at Fairview Hospital, and he peacefully passed on to his next adventure on October 12, 2025 — 95 remarkable years.

Everyone who knew Dad knew what a sincerely kind and decent man he was. He lived with integrity, perseverance, loyalty, and deep devotion to his family and his faith. He believed in the power of positive thinking and always loved a good laugh. He held himself to high standards but was gentle with others. He truly believed we are all children of God and tried to live by that.

Dad was proud of his Scottish roots. His father, William “Bill” Graham, came to Cleveland from Canada and started a business called Graham Studios. When Dad was just eight, his father passed away, and that loss shaped him. Years later, his mom married a good man, Joe Klier, who treated Dad like his own son. Joe and his sons, Kenny and Gordon, took Dad fishing and even let the boys drive the old ’39 Chevy to Catawba Island — one of his favorite memories.

After high school, Dad talked Joe into helping him build a house in Avon Lake. He designed and built it himself — the start of a lifetime career in building.

Then came the love story. Dad met Barbara Ann Bouhall on a blind date at the Berea Skate Rink. During a skating routine, they collided face-to-face, and Barbara lost her two front teeth. Dad paid to have them fixed — and the rest was history. They married in 1951 and shared 64 years together.

Dad once wrote, “Barbara was the most beautiful, charming, fun-loving, honest, and intelligent person I ever knew — and she was the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.”

Just six weeks after the wedding, he was sent to Italy during the Korean War to learn bridge building. When he returned two years later, he met his 15-month-old son, Joe — born exactly nine months after the wedding.

Dad was talented in so many ways. He played piano, harmonica, and later, the organ — right up until the end. He was artistic and studied architecture and technical drawing, but he poured that creativity into building instead. He founded Graham Builders and, with Mom by his side, worked tirelessly to provide for his growing family.

When Mom said she wanted twelve kids, Dad thought she was joking. She wasn’t. By age 32, they had nine — Joe, Jonathan, Meg, Donnie, Jamie, Jan, Jay, Scott, and Lucky. Seven boys and two girls — their own little team.

In 1960, Dad joined the Lakewood Fire Department while still building homes on his days off. He worked his way up to Captain, then Assistant Chief, and served with pride for 25 years.

Dad was also an entrepreneur. He co-founded Robin Hall, a popular party center, and later teamed up with Mom in real estate and design businesses. They truly were partners in every sense.

After retiring in 1985, Dad and Mom moved to North Carolina, where he built a beautiful home near Lake Pinehurst. He spent his days golfing, sailing, and volunteering with Habitat for Humanity. That “volunteer job” soon became a full-time mission — he eventually became President of the Moore County chapter, earning the North Carolina Governor’s Award and a nomination for President George H. W. Bush’s Points of Light Award.

They moved back to Ohio in the early ’90s and settled into a happy, creative life surrounded by family. Dad built his son Scott’s house, and Scott helped him build his own at Cinnamon Lake. Fridays were for golf with his boys, and in later years he returned to painting. Just a month ago, he proudly hosted an art show featuring his recent work. 

In his final years, Dad lived in North Ridgeville with his daughter Meg, a retired nurse, who cared lovingly for both Mom and Dad in their last chapters. We are forever grateful for her devotion and love.

Dad’s life was full — of family, faith, laughter, and service. He showed us what it means to live with purpose, to love deeply, to keep your word, and to face life with optimism and humor.

We’ll miss his quiet strength, his kindness, his twinkling eyes when he was about to tell a joke — and that feeling of safety you had just being around him.

He was our hero, our example, and our heart. And he will always be with us.

Relatives and friends are invited to meet for his Funeral Mass Monday, October 20, The Church of St. Clarence (30106 Lorain Rd. North Olmsted) at 11 A.M. Interment with military honors Tuesday, October 21, at Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery. Memorial contributions are suggested to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 or Muscular Dystrophy Association at mda.org