Ted GRAHAM

Ted Graham, 92, a retired mining engineer, died February 21 at the Brockville General Hospital after a brief illness. Born Edwin P. Graham on January 16, 1915, in Red Deer, Alberta, he was the son of Peter Edwin Graham and his wife, the former Harriet Phillips. From the beginning, he had energy: his siblings were frequently admonished to "go find Ted and tell him to stop." As an adult, he was always on the move, entrepreneurial, nature loving and very sentimental. The friends he made after moving to Brockville delighted in his sense of humour and his snooker playing ability. He started his university career at the University of Alberta and transferred to his father's alma mater, Queen's, for his final two years. On July 3, 1937 in Sudbury, he married Elsie M. Bruns, a schoolteacher he had met in 1933. They raised their family of Sandra, Peter and Christine in Canadian mining communities, including Sudbury, Kirkland Lake, Tyranite, Matachewan in northern Ontario; New Calumet, Quebec; Lynn Lake, Manitoba; Noranda, Quebec and Springdale, Newfoundland. In 1998, the Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy honoured Ted Graham for "outstanding achievement and contributions in the field of mining engineering" in Canada and in recognition of leadership and practical engineering over more than 50 years during which he brought six mines into production, and with his son, established Graham Mining of Manitouwadge and Sudbury. His grandchildren considered him to be a true Renaissance man - sports oriented and athletic (and competitive), business-minded, able to discuss politics adeptly and with great passion, a music lover and an accomplished dancer - clear evidence of which is available in rock star Tom Cochrane's music video - "Good Times." In that video, there is a clip of Ted dancing with a friend at a "do" in Lynn Lake, Manitoba, where Cochrane's dad Tuck was a bush pilot. By 1968, Mr. Graham's work as a consulting mining engineer took him and his wife to Montreal and then to Toronto. He finally retired to Brockville and the St. Lawrence River at the age of 82. He loved his many trips to Prescott, Smiths Falls and Butternut Bay and was a generous patron of the St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival. He was predeceased by his beloved wife Else just six months before and is survived by his daughters Sandra S. Lawn of Prescott and Christine Hesketh of Smiths Falls, sons-in-law Robert Lawn and Fred Hesketh, daughter-in-law Sharleen Graham of London, Ont., eight grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren and a sister Jean Pain in Alberta. His son Peter Edwin Graham predeceased him. Rev. Dr. Helen Wilson of the United Church of Canada officiated at the memorial service at the Irvine Funeral Home and Chapel, Brockville on February 24. Granddaughter Kerrie Ann Lawn gave the eulogy and granddaughter Julia Lawn and great-granddaughter Erika Agneta Nielsen read the scriptures. Pallbearers were his grandsons-in-law Bruce Anderson and Rodney Henderson, grandsons Ted Graham Jr., Christian Hesketh and Geoffrey Hesketh and great-grandsons Peter Edwin Nielsen and Owen Henderson. Donations to Community and Primary Health Care and other charities of people's choice were gratefully acknowledged by the family. # Published in Section b, page 11 in the Monday, March 19, 2007 edition of the Brockville Recorder & Times. # Posted 4:29:46 PM Monday, March 19, 2007.