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February 7, 2003 - We Remember

LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth

We Remember: James M. Graves
December 6, 1953 - November 24, 2002
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.

LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 13, No. 1, February 7, 2003
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