Joseph Burke Graves

Nova Scotia lost one of its great treasures and humanitarians this week with the death Tuesday January 11 of Joseph “Joe” Graves, 67 of Bedford and East Dover. Brother Joe died peacefully at the QE2 wrapped in the love and warmth of his family after a courageous 14 month battle with cancer.

Joe was born in Truro on October 16, 1943 to the late John Roderick MacEachern and the late Catherine (“Cassie”) Chisholm. His adoptive parents were the late Alice and Roy Graves of East Dover, where Joe attended school and formed lifelong friendships with the people of the community he loved so well.

His family, music, sailing, and helping others were the great passions of his life.

At an early age, he became a talented and versatile musician who enjoyed playing guitar, drums, piano and mandolin. As a teenager, Joe attended high school in Annapolis Royal where he and several school mates formed his first band, “The Off-Beats.” During the early 1970’s he formed the band “The Relative Tree” with his cousin Dave Scott and another relative, Joe Amyoony. In more recent years, Joe and his close friend Don Flemming founded the popular Halifax dance band, “The Corvettes.”

In 1962, Joe studied hair care at the New England School of Barbering in Boston.

It marked the start of an illustrious career that made him a Nova Scotia celebrity in his own right.

His first shop, established in 1963 was “Joseph’s Hair Styling” on Agricola street in Halifax. It later became the iconic “Golden Clipper”, initially a two chair shop where Joe and his business partner, Wayne Drew, introduced the art of men’s hair styling

to a generation of Nova Scotians. At various locations over the years, “The Clipper” was a meeting place for politicians, local radio and TV personalities, singers, musicians, actors and long time friends and acquaintances. Regardless of their status in life, Joe treated everyone with the same respect and with his familiar greeting, “Howya doin’ Bro?”

During the 1960’s Joe volunteered his talents to several Halifax television shows, among them Don Messer’s Jubilee, Singalong Jubilee, Gazette and, at CJCH Television, the inaugural Christmas Daddies Show. Joe was a fixture on Christmas Daddies, missing the show only this past December because of his illness. On that edition, his daughter Devera on behalf of Joe and his family, presented a cheque for $10,000, the proceeds from a benefit show last March. Joe had many friends in television and radio and over four decades, he was a guest on numerous talk shows and in the 1980’s hosted his own cable TV program “Shop Talk with Joe Graves.”

In 1967, Joe launched “The Head Shoppe” at Scotia Square with Wayne Drew. Early in the 1980’s Joe moved his business to the Maritime Mall, operating under the name “Headquarters” and began working more extensively with hair pieces before performing hair transplants in the early 1990’s. Headquarters became a family business when Joe’s wife and two daughters began working with him in the profession.

A great humanitarian and good Samaratan who lived by the golden rule, Joe pioneered hair replacement techniques with young burn and cancer victims at the Children’s Hospital after he himself was burned over 60 percent of his body in a fire in the1960’s.

He took his humanitarian passion with him when he went to Haiti in 1982. While there on a business trip, Joe adopted a Haitian family of five and provided for them for more than 20 years.

Joe was both a sailor and a flyer, who held a private pilot’s license in the 1970’s and who served as Commodore of the Nova Scotia Schooner Association in the 1980‘s. He enjoyed sailing on his restored schooner “Sorceress” until the last year of his life.

Joe was a friend of Bill W’s and during 39 years of sobriety, he helped dozens of others, founded several AA groups and was instrumental in establishing and raising funds for the Alcare program and Alcare Place.

Joe became a born-again Christian in 1997 and credited world champion log roller Phil Scott with leading him to the Lord. In the 14 years since, Joe has helped many others along life’s road and offered encouragement and support when they needed it most. He made the Full Gospel Church his home church and was one of its most enthusiastic members and supporters.

Last March at the Rebecca Cohn auditorium in Halifax, a tribute show was presented in Joe’s honour. Organized and produced by Brookes Diamond and Jim Henman, it was a sell out concert headlined by Rita MacNeil and featuring performances and tributes by many of Joe’s talented friends. Proceeds were donated to Christmas Daddies.

Joe is survived by Mary (Foran), his loving and devoted wife of 46 years and his two daughters, Devera Giles (Craig) and Tanya Chavarria ( “Nacho”). He will be lovingly remembered by his five grandchildren, Kenneth and Andrew Leccese, and Jose’ Luis, Emilio Alejandro and Maria Rufina Chavarria.

Joe’s family also includes several brothers and sisters: Sharon Deon (Gerry) of Pomquet, Antigonish county; Jack MacDonald (Jenny), Sudbury, Ontario; Danny MacDonald (Andrea) Oromocto, NB; Frederick MacEachern (Darlene), Inverness; Debby Kennedy (Donald, deceased) Riverview, NB; Lillian Gillis, Fort McMurray, Alta; Beverly Hagen (Laurence), Lacombe, Alta; Kevin (Josh) MacEachern, Edmonton, Alta; Russell MacEachern, Sydney; Eric MacEachern (Sandra), Victoria BC; Roy MacEachern (Cherie), Winnipeg; and Joe’s 90 year old uncle, Lloyd Marshall in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Joe was predeceased by a sister, Barbara MacDonald and a brother, Laurence (“Lolly”) Chisholm.

Joe leaves behind a great legacy of love and humanitarianism and a legion of friends. He will be greatly missed but fondly remembered by the many whose lives he touched.

His body will rest at the Full Gospel Church, 806 Kearney Lake Road. Visitation will take place at the church from 1:00 PM until 9:00 PM on Friday, January 14th.

A celebration of Joe’s life conducted by Pastor Gary Barrett will take place at the church on Saturday, January 15th at 11:00 A.M. After the service, a reception will be held in the church auditorium. Committal service and interment will follow at Saint Thomas cemetery in East Dover.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Canadian Cancer Society or to the Full Gospel Church.

Joe’ family extends special thanks to the doctors, nurses and other staff and

volunteers at the QE2 Palliative Care unit for their care and support during his final days.

Please visit www.jasnowfuneralhome.com