John Thomas "Tom" Graham

There were several Tom Grahams. Coach Graham, who delighted in all of “his” athletes, spending hours crunching stats and studying to become a better coach. Tom Graham the athlete, who spent countless hours playing golf, perusing golf magazines, and agonizing over the need for updated equipment. Tom Graham, the husband and father, who was a touchstone for so many - short on words but centered, giving his opinion when asked (but not before). He taught/mentored/coached at Carrabelle School and Wakulla High – football, girls’ basketball and golf, and softball. He was also a proud member of the Squirrel Fight men’s golf club where he spent many happy/frustrated hours. In addition to sports, Tom had widespread interests, donating to the Democratic Party in all its iterations, supporting such widely disparate causes as WFSU, the Police Benevolent Association, and the children of a Lakota tribe in South Dakota. In fact, he would write a $25 check to any cause he believed in but especially the political ones and those that supported the natural world (e.g. the Sierra Club, Nature Conservancy). Tom worked as a poll watcher in 2016 and volunteered with Second Harvest in the warehouse and in Crawfordville as well. He shared many of the traits of the golden retrievers he so loved: endlessly loyal, unexpectedly funny at times, interesting to be with, and passionate about whatever he was doing. When he loved, it was deeply and forever. Tom was a man of contradictions. Quiet but attentive, he loved to have his family around, but would then assiduously ignore them in favor of the TV and puzzles he did daily (crossword and Sudoku). He was an inveterate reader – as long as it was a magazine or newspapers (no book-length material need apply). Taciturn, yet in possession of a full-bodied vocabulary. He was both laid back and competitive to his very core. He thrived on routine, yet planned and executed a yearly summer camping trip Out West to scads of national parks. In fact, he was a backpacker who descended to the bottom of the Grand Canyon three times and rafted the Colorado through the Canyon twice, sleeping on the beaches. . In his last couple years, Tom was the happiest cancer victim on the planet – mornings spent delving into Instagram and giggling over videos of golden retrievers acting badly or being cute, kissing his wife thoroughly, then taking his Bodie out to sniff the neighborhood. He truly lived in the moment. Left Behind is his wife of 38 years, Lucile; son Chris Graham (Bronwyn) of Anchorage, AK; daughter Lauren Webster Sweatt (Bronson) of Hamilton, GA; son Will Webster (Carrie) of Alexandria, LA; grandchildren Jeffrey Miller (deceased), Eli Graham, Isabelle Miller, Aiden Johnson; and Bronson II, Verlie Page, and Hattie Sweatt; his niece and nephews Suzi, Chuck, and Jack and their progeny; his sisters-in-law and their families. In lieu of flowers, please consider supporting a memorial scholarship in his honor for students at Wakulla High School: www.wakullaacademicboosters.org. Rocky Bevis with Bevis Funeral Home (www.bevisfh.com or 850/3852193) is assisting Mrs. Graham with her arrangements.

Tributes

John Thomas "Tom" Graham

September 11, 1945 - February 12, 2023