Clayton Graves

Clayton Graves, 84, died Oct. 3 from complications after an accident. Clayton, best known as “Grandpa Graves” was an avid outdoorsman, who passed his love of the nature on to his four children, 10 grandchildren, six great grandchildren, and a multitude of “counterfeit grandchildren”. They knew him as the kindest, friendliest, most resourceful man in the area. Grandpa Graves raised dogs, horses, goats and chickens on one side of his property. He grew corn, potatoes, peppers, tomatoes and sugar cane in a carefully tended garden right beside the animals. He had more than 100 citrus trees and spent countless nights burning wood under the trees to keep them alive when a freeze hit. And then there was his adventurous side. He took his family and friends to Preacher’s Hole for camping and fishing trips every Thanksgiving. He hosted parties at his home every Easter, leading the children on Easter Egg hunts in the bushes or digging for sharks teeth in the creek or riding a 50-yard cable swing strung between oak trees. July 4 celebrations included fishing and rope swinging at the pond, learning how to use a b-b gun and, of course, firecrackers. Before he was Grandpa, he was Clayton Lamar Graves, born Feb. 17, 1931 in Berrien County Georgia. He met Carolyn Rutland there and followed her to Gainesville where they were married in 1952. He spent three years in the U.S. Army, driving a munitions supply truck in the Korean War before settling permanently in Gainesville in 1953. His first job was as an electrician at Carlos Hope Electric, and in the mid-1960s, he joined the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. He worked on projects at Kennedy Space Center, the Crystal River nuclear power plant, the Tennessee Valley Authority and Georgia Pacific Paper Mill in Palatka. He said he owes everything he’s done to Local Union 1205 of the IBEW where he was a member for 50 years. He retired in 1996 to devote his considerable energy to being Grandpa Graves. He built a nature’s playground on his property and roamed every inch of his land to find something new, something exciting, something fun for his grandchildren, or the neighborhood children to enjoy. He taught generations of children that life is more fun outdoors. All you need is a fishin’ pole, a good knife, a flashlight and a sense of adventure to build real childhood memories in the Great Outdoors. Funeral services will be held Saturday, October 10, 2015 at 11:00 a.m., at his residence, 4362 NW 18th Terrace, with Pastor Jess Carter officiating. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service, beginning at 10:00 a.m. Interment will follow in Memorial Park Central, 4100 NW 39th Avenue.

Clayton Graves

February 17, 1931 - October 3, 2015