Kenneth Christopher Graham

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our father, Kenneth Christopher Graham on the morning of Friday, February 26th at the age of 95 after suffering a stroke earlier in the week.  Luckily, each of his children was able to visit with him prior to his passing.

Ken is survived by his last remaining sister Jane (Wilfred), his children Debra (Doug), Suzanne (Rod), Patrick, Justin, Peter (Tina), his 11 grand, 15 great-grand, and two great-great-grandchildren. He will also be fondly remembered by his surviving sisters-in-law Ruth and Mae, as well as many nieces and nephews.

After surviving numerous serious health crises since the passing of our mother Jackie in 2015, the bonus days finally ran out.   Although his short-term memory was fading, Dad could still tell stories about growing up in Chatsworth, Ontario, his time spent during World War II working at Victory Aircraft (where he met our mother), their post-war marriage, and the building of our family home in Etobicoke. When asked, Dad said his favourite memories were the post-retirement times spent with Mom traveling around the continent in their camper, including a number of winters spent in Texas and Arizona.

Dad was a long time and well respected member of the electro-plating industry, and volunteered much time at Transfiguration of Our Lord Catholic Church in Etobicoke, including as part of the lay team that led the Marriage Preparation course during the 1980s.

When we were growing up Dad was never one to waste time watching TV. He was most likely found sitting at the kitchen table cleaning his pipe and what we jokingly referred to as scheming.  However, his schemes were not “get rich quick” plans; as a small business owner he was always trying to find ways to do something more efficiently or cheaper. Dad’s one major hobby was golf.  And even with golf he was always constructing and creating his own training tools out of what he had available.

Even in his final years, Dad was still ‘scheming’ and it was his active mind that kept him going. His last enduring scheme was his desire for us to get him a bicycle, despite being legally blind, not being able to stand, and is mostly confined to a wheelchair.  Recently he had also talked about writing a book about the Lancaster bomber (built at Victory Aircraft during the war) and on the Tuesday that he suffered his final stroke, he had called one of his sons to ask him to track down the priest who had married our parents in 1948 because “he just wanted to know if he was still alive.”

We would like to sincerely thank the team at Lakeshore Lodge, Etobicoke that has taken such good care of him since he arrived in November of 2019.

A Celebration of Life will be held at a point in the future when it is possible to gather. Memorial donations may be made to Lakeshore Lodge or the CNIB.

We love you Dad. Rest in Peace.