- Date Of Birth: October 28, 1924
- Date Of Death: January 20, 2019
- State: Idaho
Roman Titus Greaves, 94, passed away peacefully at the Boise Veterans Home on Sunday, January 20, 2019. His father, Ignatius Graiwishkies, and Mother, Adela Graiwishkies, were from the country Lithuania.
An interesting fact, after he was born the doctor asked his mom for his name. And his mom, in broken English, said Raymond. Not quite understanding her, the name on his birth certificate ended up Roman. All the relatives in the Boston area call him Ray, while folks here in the west know him as Roman, or Roe. Also, after the war, in 1951, he changed the family name from Graiwishkies to Greaves in an effort to be more American.
Roman graduated from Brockton High School in 1943. One of his high school extra-curricular activities was gymnastics, where he excelled. He joined the Army Air Corp after graduation and enrolled in cadet training. He was stationed all over the states piloting many military aircraft from small fighters to bombers. In the end, he became a B24 Bomber Pilot where he was stationed at March field in California and finally Gowen field in Idaho. At March Air Force Base, he met Eileen Burke, who was an Administrative Secretary. Later, she would come to Boise after the war and they were married in 1947. Luckily, his bomber squadron was days away from leaving, with orders to fight in the South Pacific, when Japan surrendered.
Roman and Eileen had a son, Warren, born in 1949. Warren graduated from Borah High and studied music at Boise State University. He made a living playing music on keyboards for Northwest bands. After a few years, he went back to school and earned an engineering degree in Arizona. He then went to work and later retired from Hewlett-Packard Company. Warren married Jean Barry in 1986 and has a step-son Joshua. Grandson Joshua was a great joy to Roman and Eileen. Jean was a wonderful help to Roman after his wife, Eileen, passed.
Throughout his live Roman was an enjoyable man to be around. Never swearing, always positive and always had respect for others.
Living the last few years at the Idaho State Veterans Home was very satisfying to him.
He will be missed by all of us. Rest in Peace, Roman Titus Greaves. I know you are dancing again with Eileen in heaven!
