Willie Joe McGraw, 85, of Summerville, Georgia, died on Sunday, January 15, 2017, at his residence.
Mr. McGraw was born Sept. 22, 1931, in Berryton, Ga., son of the late Gordon Jennings and Nellie Mae Moore McGraw. Mr. McGraw was a veteran of the United States Air Force having served in Korea. He earned the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, and the National Defense Service Medal.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a brother, G. J. McGraw; and sisters, Frances Helton and Foye Wooten.
Mr. McGraw attended Trion High School and played college football at Troy State in Alabama. He was an admired coach and teacher who influenced the lives of the many students he taught. Mr. McGraw also worked as a manager at Goodyear for 25 years, helping many members of the community.
Mr. McGraw was an active member of many organizations within Chattooga County. He worked hard for many years with the Chattooga County Optimist Club ensuring the youth of the county were being lead in the right direction. Mr. McGraw was also an influential member of the Veterans Memorial Park Committee where he worked many hours to build the Veterans Memorial Park. He was an active member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6688, American Legion Post 129 and the Sons of Legion Squadron 129.
Mr. McGraw is survived by his daughters and sons-in-law, Kathy and Jeff Bennett, Terri and Ricky Jones; grandchildren, Beth and Casey Howard, B. J. Hall and Ashley French, Dustin and Jennifer Jones; great-grandchildren, Emma Howard, Rylan Jones, Emery Jones, Ben Howard, and Mayson Jones.
A Celebration of Life service for Mr. McGraw will be held at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 17, at the Veterans Memorial Park in Summerville with Mr. Milford Morgan, Mr. Phil Cavin, and Mr. Bobby Rinehart officiating. Honorary pallbearers will be all personal friends, Chattooga High Class of 1968 and the Veterans Memorial Park Committee.
A special thank you to the staff of Hearth Hospice, The Congestive Heart Failure Clinic, Penny McCutchins, and Barbara McSears. Your help and love will be remembered and is greatly appreciated.
There will be a gathering of family and friends at the Veterans Memorial Park from 1 p.m. until the hour of service on Tuesday.
In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully requests donations be made to the Chattooga County Memorial Home. Donations can be made at United Community Bank or sent to 818 Memorial Drive Summerville, Ga.