William G. Graves

DANVERS-William Gardiner Graves died peacefully in his sleep on Thursday, Sept. 14. He was 88. He was the loving husband of Judith (Sargent) Graves with whom he shared 62 years of marriage. He was born in Beverly Hospital to the late Roy S. Graves Sr. and Beatrice (Blodgett) Graves on May 8, 1935. He was a lifelong resident of Danvers and attended Danvers High School. He was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force where he served in the Strategic Air Command 349th Bomb Squadron at Pease Air Force Base. He was a proud jet mechanic on an award-winning B-47 crew. Bill met his wife, Judy, on a blind date, and they married in 1961. They spent their lives together, raising three children, and had only one week apart when he traveled for an Air Force competition. Following his time in the Air Force, Bill worked for several trucking and construction companies, including Marston’s Express and Koby’s Witch City Express in Danvers, and Vitale & Sons in Hamilton. He served on the Danvers Fire Department for 30 years as a firefighter and as the department’s fire alarm technician, maintaining the municipal fire alarm system. He was a member of the International Municipal Signal Association and served as past president of the North Shore Signal Association. Late in his career and after retiring from the fire department, he worked as an alarm technician for L.W. Bills in Georgetown. He was baptized in then-Calvary Episcopal Church, now All Saints Episcopal Church of the North Shore in Danvers and was a faithful lifelong member. He was a member of the church’s vestry, serving in many capacities. Bill loved to take his family camping to his favorite spots, including Acadia National Park in Maine and the White Mountains in New Hampshire. He owned two antique fire trucks with his sons and enjoyed taking them to parades and car and truck shows with his children and grandchildren. He also enjoyed working on the family cars and kept many of those vehicles on the road for years. Woodworking was another hobby, and several of the bookshelves and desks he built still stand in his home and his children's homes today. Bill loved attending his children’s and grandchildren’s sporting events, recitals, and music concerts. He also enjoyed keeping up with the latest computer technology. To his grandchildren’s delight, he was quite adept at texting and knew all the latest abbreviations. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his son, Jeffrey Graves, and wife, Susan Popper, of Wellesley; his daughter, Karen Lynne Graves, and husband, Noah Jorgensen, of Kingston, NH; and his son, Michael Graves, and wife, Noelle Graves, of Danvers; and his grandchildren, Katelyn, Rebecca, and William Graves, of Richmond Hill, Ga.; Mikey Graves, of Danvers; and Luke Zoso, of Wellesley; and many cherished nieces and nephews. His Funeral Service will be celebrated at 10AM on Wednesday, September 20, 2023 at C.R. Lyons & Sons, Funeral Directors, 28 Elm St., Danvers. Burial will follow in Walnut Grove Cemetery, Danvers. Visitation will be held from 4-7PM on Tuesday, September 19, 2023 in the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, please send donations in Bill’s name to the Danvers Firefighters Relief Association, 64 High St., Danvers, MA, 01923 or All Saints Episcopal Church, 46 Cherry St., Danvers, MA, 01923. Online directions and condolences are available at www.LyonsFuneral.com