Jim Graves passed away November 24, 2002 from complications associated
with AIDS. He had been a patient at Harbor Healthcare in Lewes since
early September after his health declined rapidly. His partner of 22 1/2
years, Hunter Kesmodel, was at his side when he died.
Jim was born and raised in Lewes where
his family has resided for generations. Upon graduating
from Cape Henlopen High School, he went to work for his family’s
trailer park business. He was employed there until he met Hunter in 1980
and moved to the Baltimore area. (Those of you who’ve been coming to
Rehoboth since the 1970s will no doubt remember Jim as a regular at The
Boathouse pool table.) Jim quickly put his carpentry skills to work as
he and Hunter began a succession of old house renovations in the
Baltimore area. All the while, Jim worked as a maintenance engineer and
later as assistant to the designer at a Baltimore furniture store. He
retired on disability in 1997.
Jim and Hunter continued to spend summers
at the beach, and in 1985 they purchased a condemned historic property
in Lewes. Although forced to work part-time on the house, Jim’s
carpentry skills, creativity, and boundless energy got the project
completed in less than three years. In the 1990s, the house was featured
on the Lewes Christmas House Tour and the Annual Garden Tour. Christmas
and gardening became Jim’s passions. Each Christmas, his goal was a
bigger and more beautiful tree than the previous years, while his
gardens always received rave reviews.
Jim loved living at the beach. He and
Hunter were never without a 4-wheel drive vehicle to drive on the beach
at Gordons Pond. Although he never caught a single fish, Jim enjoyed
hosting beach cook-outs or just chatting with friends as they walked by.
Jim will be remembered for his wit, his kindness, and his generosity.
Until illness affected his personality, he was quick to smile and loved
to joke with friends. (Who could forget his story using a cigarette pack
liner?!)
Jim
was predeceased by a brother, Louie, and his father, Louis B. Graves, a
local artist. In addition to Hunter, Jim is survived by his mother,
Eleanor C. Graves, five brothers and sisters, and many friends. A
memorial service was held December 7, 2002 in Lewes.
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