After many years of living with diabetes and heart failure, Roger, age 68, succumbed to his illnesses on May 10, 2019 while in the care of The Grove at Greenville, PA. Roger was born in Youngstown, Ohio on July 10, 1950. The youngest of his siblings, and the only son to Pauline Graham, née Cain and Charles Graham, he was showered with love from the very beginning.
Roger married his high-school sweetheart, Cissie Graham, née Watson on February 1,1968, and they had a son shortly thereafter. From an early age, Roger showed interest in mechanics, and managed to turn that interest into an interesting career that began while attending Bethel Park High School (class of ’68) by working for Haddad’s Inc. in Pleasant Hills and later in Orlando, Florida. By the late 1990s and early 2000s, he was working as a Teamster, Local 249, with transportation coordinators on various movie sets.
He loved being around the film industry, meeting interesting people and telling stories about on-set shenanigans. Roger always had an interest in police work, having served as an officer in Peter’s Township in the early 1970s and later as a Pennsylvania State Constable in the 1990s. At the age of 42 he pursued his college degree and graduated in 1998 with a B.A. in Criminology from the University of Pittsburgh.
Known for his witty sense of humor, Roger was a fun-loving man who made many friends throughout his life. As volunteer firefighter with the Bethel Park Volunteer Fire Department, he was proud to protect the community where he lived. He enjoyed the open road – from Sunday drives with his family to his comically tiny SmartCar to riding his Harley through Pennsylvania’s countryside, Florida’s ocean shores or the winding backroads of the Texas Hill Country – his passion for all things “Transpo” was ever-present in his life.
Roger was steadfast in his faith as demonstrated by his long-standing membership in the Freemasons at the Bethel Masonic Hall. While Roger was not a man of many vices, he had a weakness for homemade meatloaf, pepperoni pizza, and fudge. Please trust us when we tell you if something leafy and green touched his plate, he likely would not give it a second glance!
Roger is survived by his son, Roger Graham, II, two grandchildren, Payton Graham and Joseph Graham, and his daughter-in-law, Jill Graham, (Austin, Texas), and by his sisters, Debby Smith (Piney Point, Maryland) and Sandy Graham (Greenville). He is predeceased by his loving wife, Cissie and his parents. Services will be held at David J. Henney Funeral Home, 6364 Library Rd (RT 88), South Park, PA 15129, on Saturday, June 1, 2019 from 1 – 3 p.m. Donations to honor his life can be made to the Bethel Park Volunteer Fire Company, ASPCA or to the Wounded Warrior Project.
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