Deacon Al Graff

1919 - 2024

Deacon Al Graff died peacefully on the morning of May 3, 2024. He was born in Mandan, North Dakota on January 23, 1919 to Paul Graff and Teresa Sailer. When he was three years old his family moved to California, first to Fresno and then to Los Angeles. His family belonged to Our Mother of Sorrow's Church there and he attended the catholic elementary school. The pastor of the church suggested to his parents that he, along with his cousin Bob, attend Loyola Marymount High School. Neither family could afford the tuition and the pastor (Fr. Ford) made this arrangement: if Al and Bob spent the day Saturday cleaning the church, the church would cover their tuition. After graduating in 1936 he attended the University of California, Berkeley. He studied engineering and was a senior when Pearl Harbor was attacked. He was told to stay in school and he graduated in 1942. He was hired by General Electric and moved to Schenectady, New York. Because he worked on a team that was developing jet engines he was not permitted to serve in the military.After the war he returned to Los Angeles where he met and married Marion Goetz who he met in the Chi Rho club at church. They were blessed with five children (Greg, Mary Kay, David, Leandra and Nancy).In 1958 the family moved to Rancho Santa Fe when Al took a job with General Atomics,,. He worked on the Triga Reactor Progam (nuclear research reactors) and retired in 1983. That same year he was ordained a permanent deacon at St. James and St. Leo Catholic Church and began his second career. In addition to his usual duties preaching and presiding at baptisms, weddings and funerals he found great joy in outreach to the poor. He was a strong supporter of Fr. Joe Carroll and Fr. Joe's Village. He also cofounded Esperanza International in 1984 with Fr. John Howard and Bob Morris. Esperanza International still operates to this day building houses for the poor in Tijuana. Esperanza Housing and Community Development Corporation was established in 1991 and focused on housing for the poor in San Diego. It later joined another non-profit to form Community Housing Works to provide low-income housing in California and Texas When it was clear that many people in Eden Gardens lacked basic medical care, he teamed up with Dr. Dick Wheelock to found the St. Leo Medical and Dental Clinic. Additionally, he received the Matthew 25 award from Catholic Charities in the Diocese of San Diego. This is given to those who give compassionate care to the poor.After his wife Marion died in 2000 he came to live with his youngest daughter Nancy and her husband Tom. He lived there until 2023 when a broken hip required him to move into nursing care. He was 105 at the time of his death.In his final act of generosity he donated his body to the UCSD Medical School.His funeral Mass will be held at St. James Catholic Church in Solana Beach on Thursday, June 6th at 11:00AM with a reception to follow. You can find directions or livestream the Mass at http://www.stjamesandleo.org. In place of flowers, please consider a donation to Father Joe's Villages or the Al Graff Scholarship Fund at St. James Academy.