Thomas Carlyle Graham was born Feb. 12, 1934, in Forest City, the son of Harold and Ruth (Ellerson) Graham. He died Oct. 5, 2014, at the age of 80.
Tom was baptized and confirmed at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Forest City. He will be remembered as a devout man of quiet greatness, patience, humility, generosity, and humor, raising four daughters in his 61-year marriage to Geraldine “Gerry.” After graduating from Forest City High School in 1952, Tom moved to Newton to marry his high school sweetheart, Gerry, on May 9, 1953. He became a draftsman at Winpower, advanced to become president, then moved to Muncie, Ind., to help merge Winpower with Pierce Corporation from 1987 to 1998, when he and Gerry retired and moved back to Newton. In Newton, Tom and Gerry were charter members of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church. He was also a member of the Izaak Walton League, Elks Lodge, was an active retiree working for the Newton City Parks, and volunteered for Project AWAKE.
Tom will be dearly missed by all those fortunate to have known him. He is survived by his devoted wife, Gerry; and their four daughters, Lea (Robert) Cardoni, Jodi (John) Feddema, Mary (Kevin) Snow and Jeane (Scott) Keplinger; eight grandchildren, Jennifer, Anne, Rick, David, Miranda, Anna, Ellen and Graham; and three great-grandchildren, Emily, Alexander, and Sebastian. He was preceded in death by his parents; his loving sister, Mary; and infant twin sons, Timothy and Terry.
A memorial service will be held at 4 p.m., Wednesday, October 8, 2014, at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Newton, with a family visitation immediately following the service. Private inurnment will precede the memorial service. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Holy Trinity Lutheran Church. Memorials may be left at the church on the day of the service, or can be mailed to the Wallace Family Funeral Home and Crematory in Newton. If mailing, please add “Attn: Graham Family” to the envelope.