Mr. David B. Graham, 93, of The Villages, Florida, and a longtime resident of Washington, Indiana, passed away on April 1, 2020. He was born Feb. 10, 1927, in Miami Beach, Florida, to Robert Cabel and Bertha (Hack) Graham. He attended Georgetown Preparatory School, Georgetown University, the College of St. Bartholomew (Bogota, Columbia), and Harvard Business School. Before his high school graduation, he enlisted in the Army Air Corp and served in the U.S. Air Force active and reserve, retiring in 1987 as a Lieutenant Colonel. Mr. Graham honorably served in the 445th Bomb Squadron and was an aide-de-camp for the Commanding General, 813th Air Division. While in the reserves, he served as a liaison to the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He married the late Stuart Hill Smith from Upper Marlboro, Maryland, in 1956 and lived in Bal Harbor, Florida, then Washington, Indiana. Mr. Graham came back to
Washington to work with his father and brothers at Graham Farms, Inc., where he served in multiple capacities, retiring as president. Mr. Graham served as president of the National Turkey Federation in 1969 and presented the Thanksgiving turkey in the Rose Garden to be pardoned by President Richard Nixon. Mr. Graham was an avid supporter of Southern Indiana, both for business and agriculture. He worked tirelessly to promote the region, especially the Mid-Continent Highway Coalition to create
jobs and promote local, state and national commerce. The coalition was focused on bringing an interstate through the Midwest that would ultimately connect Canada through to seeing Southwest Indiana prosper. During his lifetime, Mr. Graham, a devout Roman Catholic, was an active member of the Knights of Columbus, the Rotary Club of Washington, Indiana, the Columbia Club of Indianapolis, Graham Owners Club, International and the Republican National Party. He served as a member of the board of directors for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Indiana Historical Society, People’s National Bank, German- American Bank and the Sun Trust Bank of Florida. Mr. Graham was also a published author of novels and children’s stories, much to the delight of his children, grandchildren and many fans. Mr. Graham is survived by his children: Bird (Carl) Peavy, Ellen Graham, Darnell Graham, Lamar (Tony) Smith, Lyle Graham, Gerard Graham,
Barbara (Mark) Gazda, Beau (Carol) Graham; and nine grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to: The Johns Hopkins Center for Innovative Medicine (CIM). The address is 750 East Pratt Street, 17th floor, Baltimore, MD 21202. A celebration of life will be planned at a future date.
