- Date Of Birth: October 29, 1936
- Date Of Death: April 18, 2019
- State: Illinois
Harold L. Graves, 82, of Grand Junction, Colorado, formerly of Bluffs, Illinois, died Thursday, April 18, 2019, in Grand Junction. He was born October 29, 1936, near Ashland, IL, the son of Oliver and Lucille Grady Graves. Harold was then raised by Kenneth & Ruby Bridgman of Bluffs. He was first married to and fathered two children with Norma Allen. He later married Sandy Gauthier and she survives.
He was also survived by one son, Scott Graves of College Station, Texas; one daughter, Melissa “Lisa” Hoots of Jacksonville, IL; two grandchildren, Jason Hoots of Jacksonville, IL, and Ryan (Daylen) Hoots of Normal, IL; two great-grandchildren, Jolene and Sadie Hoots; two sisters, Josephine (late husband Robert) Meyer and Ada (late husband Robert) Reed, both of Jacksonville, IL; and several nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents; and two brothers, James Graves (surviving wife Thao, of Florida) and Joe Graves.
Mr. Graves was a graduate of Bluffs High School in 1955. He briefly attended Culver-Stockton College before being drafted as a pitcher by the St. Louis Cardinals. After an injury forced an early retirement from baseball, Harold returned to Bluffs and began to work for Freesen Bros. as a road construction operating engineer. He then purchased a farm outside Bluffs which he continued to farm until 1982 when he moved to College Station, Texas. While there he worked as an engineer and supervisor for Navasota Mining Company until his retirement in 1996. After retirement, Harold began seeing the country in an RV and working for several RV parks along the way in Texas, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, and Colorado. Harold never knew a stranger and was always ready with a good joke. He enjoyed fishing, slow-pitch softball, traveling, animals, and golfing, even hitting a hole in one while golfing with football legend Dan Marino.
