Retired SFC (Retired) Dan Edmond Graves, 75 passed away on Tuesday, April 13th at 6:40 p.m. at the Winfield Kansas Veteran's Home after suffering from Parkinson's disease for about the last five years. Cremation has taken place, but internment with military honors will take place on Thursday, April 29th at 1 p.m. at the Kansas Veteran's Cemetery in Manhattan, Kansas located at 5181 Wildcat Creek Road.
He was a Junction City (Fort Riley) resident from 1978. Dan was born on November 7th, 1945 in Yawn District, Covington, Mississippi to William and Ruby Graves. After they split, William married Willie Mae Lott and Ruby married Jim Reynolds. He is preceded in death by all four of his parents and his older brother Robert (Bobby), but survived by his step brother, Richard Reynolds of Pass Christian, Mississippi. Dan married Mary E. Slifer on January 15th, 1967 after meeting at Keesler Air Force Base and they were divorced in October 1991 after having two children together, Dan II and Kensera. Dan II has four children, Scott Winter of Jackson, Michigan, Dan III and Kenneth Graves of Newton, Kansas and Amanda Fielder of Junction City, Kansas. The four great grandchildren are Braxton, Braylen, Brycen and Everleigh.
He had three other marriages lasting less than five years a piece that produced no children. The wives names were Penny Murphy, Michelle Loureiro and Suzy Comet.
After once serving as the opening act for Buddy Holly, Dan enlisted in the Army straight out of school where he served as a Ranger and door gunner in Vietnam. He returned to the States as an air traffic controller and achieved a life long dream by earning his private pilots license while stationed in Germany. Dan went on to use those piloting skills to ferry around Conway Twitty and Dolly Parton when his schedule permitted for about a year while stationed in North Carolina. Dan retired in 1985 and began teaching flight simulation at DASI, then opened DOT Computers which he operated while using his multiple PhD's to teach various computer courses at the Manhattan KState campus and aviation at the Salina KState campus. Dan was also an avid CB & Ham radio operator (N0DOT), owned a Karaoke bar in Memphis, Tennesse, was a commercial aviation instructor instructor, freelance computer contractor and enjoyed technology and flight in any and all forms. Except for hot air balloons and shuttlecraft, if it got off of the ground, he could and did fly it.
Here's hoping that he's enjoying his final flight as he was dearly loved and will forever be missed. He may have been agnostic, but was saved.
After the internment, his daughter, Kensera will be in the back room at IHOP located at 321 East Ash Street in Junction City from 3-5 p.m. on Thursday, April 29th. PLEASE come share any funny/happy memories and/or pictures during this time. If you cannot make it, you can write and/or send pictures care of Mary E. Graves 1230 West 2nd Avenue El Dorado, Kansas 67042. She will make sure that I get them. If you would like the pictures returned to you include a note saying as much and please make sure that the return address is clear. I will return them ASAP. Thank you in advance. Much appreciated! It will help me heal.
Kensera E. Graves