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Sept. 1, 1937 - April 7, 2015

Graham passed away at Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital in Trail, B.C. after a short but courageous battle against cancer. He was born in Leicester, England, where he earned his degree in mechanical engineering. Due to a bike accident, he lost vision in his right eye. While in hospital, he met and later married Jill Eden.

They immigrated to Canada in 1961 and settled in Rossland. Graham began a long and rewarding career with Cominco/Teck Metals Ltd. advancing through the company to become the environmental health manager for Trail Operations until his retirement in 1998.

He traveled to New Zealand in 1968 on a Rotary Group Study Exchange, which he said had a huge influence on his life. He became passionate about the environment as was evidenced by his enormous contributions to his employer and his community.

His involvement with the Kootenay Mountaineering Club from the early ‘60s led Graham to serve as secretary of the Trail Rod and Gun Club, president of the Trail Wildlife Association, director/vice president and then president of B.C. Wildlife Federation, director of West Kootenay Outdoorsmen and energy chair and conservation ethics manager of BCWF on the Seven Mile and Revelstoke Dam projects.

He was a founding chair of the BC Conservation Foundation, member of the BC Environmental Appeal Board, conservation chair of Kootenay Mountaineering which initiated a campaign to establish Valhalla Park. He also worked on a number of campaigns and conservation of parks and wilderness and forest policies as well as coal strip-mining legislation and the establishment of the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area. He was also director of the Canadian Wildlife Federation, member and chair of the Royal Roads University Environmental Advisory Committee and served on the Trail Lead Task Force/Trail Health and Environment Committee.

He chaired the steering committee for the Rossland Strategic Sustainability Plan, was a director of Community Futures, the Lower Columbia Community Development Team and the Fort Shepherd Land Conservancy Area, which he helped to establish.

In his spare time, he loved hiking in the mountains, cycling, touring, backpacking and traveling through many parts of the world. As a runner, he won numerous medals but was most proud of achieving a time of 2:45 hours in a marathon. He also enjoyed his dogs, the Nooners Jogging Club, keeping abreast of local politics, and was an incredible writer, penning a number of non-fiction magazine articles and writing letters to the local newspaper from “the Mountain Kingdom.”

Graham is survived by his wife, Jill; children Heather (Jim) Lawson of Port Alberni and Andrew (Tina) of Rossland; and brothers Robert and David of England. He was predeceased by his parents, Margaret and Frank.

The family would like to thank the staff and physicians at KBRH and Home Nursing/Support. Special thanks to Helen Clugston, Angie Profili and Cathy Sahlstrom, who were incredibly supportive during this time.

A service will be held on Monday, April 13 at Rossland United Church at 1 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, please support Doctors Without Borders @ http://www.msf.ca/

The Mountain Kingdom has lost a prince of a man.



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