Campbell Luke Graham

GRAHAM, Campbell Luke "Sandy" - May 18, 1941 - October 16, 2023
Campbell L. "Sandy" Graham, 82, of Georgetown, SC, previously of New Vernon, NJ, and Bedford, NY, died on Monday, October 16, 2023, at Georgetown Hospital following a short illness.
Sandy was born to John C. "Jack" Graham and Mary Luke "Polly" Graham, the second of three children and one of 23 Luke cousins. He was raised in Bedford, New York, where he attended the Harvey School in Katonah, NY. He went on to graduate from St Paul's School in Concord, NH in 1958. After a post-grad year at the Hill School in Pottstown, PA he attended Williams College, in Williamstown, MA, where he graduated with a BA in Spanish in 1963.
After graduating from Williams, Sandy joined the United States Army, where he served as a Specialist in the Military Police. The highlight of his time in the army, that he so enjoyed sharing, was helping ensure the peace during Martin Luther King's march from Selma to Montgomery in 1965, where Army MPs dressed as National Guardsman so as not to incite the crowds.
In 1968 he met Christie Krementz in Paget, Bermuda at the Coral Beach Club. They married in 1970 and have three children: daughter Paget, followed by twin sons Ian and Eric.
In his work life, Sandy found a passion for gemstones, and could recount the history, lore, and origin of practically all types from around the world. Sandy was vice president of both Krementz & Co. and Krementz Gemstones, in Newark, NJ, where he worked for 40 years. Krementz & Co., founded in 1866, was one of the oldest and largest manufacturers of men's and women's jewelry in the United States, specializing in rare and precious colored gemstones. Sandy shared his passion for colored gemstones with colleagues and friends and was just as passionate about the friends he made along the way.
Universally loved and respected as a true gentleman, Sandy loved playing bridge and was an accomplished and avid golfer, playing at DeBordieu in Georgetown, SC, Somerset Hills CC, in Bernardsville, NJ, and Bedford Golf and Tennis Club, in Bedford, NY. At Somerset Hills, he won the President's Cup Golf tournament in 1974 and 1986, and with his wife, Christie, won the Jane Goss Memorial Tournament in 1995. He and his father played in the Garden City (NY) father-son tournament for a number of years during the 1960s, 70s and 80s.
Sandy loved traveling, seeing new places, meeting new people and making friends wherever he went. From England to Paris, Scotland, South Africa and Utah he had a gift for connecting and sharing stories and commonalities, building friendships wherever he went. Recently, he and Christie enjoyed European river cruises on the Danube from Budapest to Prague, the Seine, from Paris to Normandy, and the Rhine, from Basil to Amsterdam. On each of these trips their fellow travelers went from traveling companions to true friends.
Sandy was the beloved husband of Christie for 53 years. He is survived by his wife Christie and his three children, Paget of Georgetown, SC, Ian and his wife Priscilla of Nantucket, MA, Eric and his wife Kris of Park City, UT, and his brother John C. Graham, Jr. and his wife Sharon Kleckner of St. Paul, MN. He was predeceased by his sister Margot Graham Lord Moncure of Bedford, NY. He was a fabulous and loving granddad to Priscilla, Virginia, Charlotte, Luke and Nicholas Graham, and step-granddad to Fisher Dougherty.
A Memorial Service will be held Saturday, November 4, 2023, at 10:00 a.m., at the Georgetown Presbyterian Church, 558 Black River Road, Georgetown, SC. Please join the family immediately following in the Fellowship Hall for light refreshments and celebration of a life well lived.
Contributions in his memory may be made to Special Olympics Connecticut, https://www.soct.org/ where his granddaughter Priscilla played all her sports, or to your regional Special Olympics Organization.
The Georgetown Chapel of Mayer-Ethridge Funeral Home and Crematory is assisting the Graham family.