Gordon Graham's Obituary
James “Gordon” Graham was a Dallas boy born on February 9, 1934. The second child after his sister, Dorothy, he was “Boy Blue” to his parents who cherished their only son. Gordon attended Woodrow Wilson High School as a member of the ROTC and then went to Baylor University in Waco where he quickly met, and married, the cutest girl on campus - Charlene Morton. Their “Baylor Baby”, Sharon, was born while they were both students there.
After graduation, he joined the Air Force as a navigator at the height of the Cold War. Entering into private life in 1961, the Graham family moved to San Antonio along with their second daughter, Karen. His son, Bruce, completed the family in 1963. During their time in San Antonio, the family made life-long friends as members of Trinity Baptist.
After moving to Dallas in 1967, an opportunity opened up which led Gordon to acquire extensive knowledge and experience in inventory control. Successfully self-publishing and self-promoting his first book, he moved quickly into providing private consultations for distributors, as well as leading inventory training sessions across the country. After publishing two more books, Gordon Graham became known as “The Dean of Industrial Distribution,” with many of his inventory theories, practices and principles still in use today.
For 50 years, Gordon’s family attended Believers’ Chapel in Dallas, and then Community Bible Chapel in Richardson. At CBC, Gordon served as an elder for ten years and during this time, Gordon & Charlene began sponsoring the high school class. They continued this ministry for many years leading numerous teenagers to Christ. How many kids learned to ski on Lake Tawakoni with the cheers, help, and support of Gordon & Charlene? Countless!
In 1995, Gordon retired and built “Mountain Legacy”...a vacation home in Estes Park. This alpine retreat provided rich memories and good times for friends and family alike. When in Estes, Gordon was an Elder and Bible teacher at Mountain View Bible Fellowship; completed a commentary on the book of Isaiah; and authored books about Ruth, Esther and the End Times.
While these are the facts, they do not fully describe the man. Gordon treasured and served his Lord, his wife, his family, and the church body with a fierce dedication. His living example of a trustworthy father here on earth made it easy to believe in a heavenly Father who would also be trustworthy. Gordon loved to entertain, to tease, and to play jokes with (and on) everyone in his sphere. He could lecture with the best of them, sing silly songs in every crazy voice, and be the quarterback in the front yard for children who came over asking, “Can Gordon come out to play?”
After Charlene died two years ago, Gordon mourned for her deeply, yet continued to look for ways he could honor God - even as his health declined. Gordon Graham ran the “race God set before him” very, very well and crossed his finish line into Heaven on October 17, 2023.
Celebration of Life Service to be held at Community Bible Chapel, Richardson on Friday, 10/27 at 11:00 am.
Gordon is survived by:
Daughter Sharon Lathrop & husband Phil of Richardson
Daughter Karen Walthall of Crosby
Son Bruce Graham & wife Linda of Dallas
Grandson Graham Lathrop & wife Erika of Ft. Collins, CO.
Granddaughter Charlotte Mims & husband Kevin of Dallas
Grandson Dustin Walthall & wife Jenni of Bedford
Grandson Alex Walthall & wife Brittany of Little Elm
Granddaughter Krysta Trippel & husband Elliott of Houston
Granddaughter Shannon Graham of Austin
Granddaughters Kristen & Julia Graham of Dallas
Great-Grandchildren: Connor, Lauren & Ryan Mims
Nathan, Haddie & Taylor Walthall
Theodora Lathrop
Owen James Trippel
In-Laws: Jim & Diane Kleypas of San Antonio
Bob & Marilyn Cluck of Abilene
Jim & Pat Morton of Waco
Countless beloved, nieces, nephews, & cousins
In lieu of flowers, please donate to BEBglobal.org (Both Ends Believing)
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