John Clark Graham, Sr.

He graduated in 1951 at the age of 16 from Alba High School in Bayou La Batre, Alabama. He then joined the merchant marines for a period before attending Auburn University where he majored in engineering. In 1955, he married Carol Jones, the mother of his two children.

As a business leader in the Bayou La Batre area and a pioneer in its seafood industry, he was involved in several successful business ventures. These include interest, as an original partner and investor, in Driftwood Country Club in the Bayou La Batre area; a partner in Fisherman Marine, a seafood business which owned shrimp boats and facilities to service those vessels; and his own charter boat company, Silver King II. However, his primary business ventures were with his father and two brothers. First, John E. Graham and Sons, an offshore boat company servicing the offshore oil and gas industry, was formed in 1957 with one vessel which grew into a fleet of over 130. Second, Offshore Trawlers, Inc., which owned and operated shrimp boats and a successful shipyard that constructed over 150 vessels.

After retiring with the sale of the family business, he and his wife Peggy moved to Deer Park, Alabama, her native home place. There, he developed a passion for farming, including the planting of various fruit trees and a first-rate peach orchard. Although he was not a hunter, he planted crops to protect and enhance the area's wildlife. He is preceded in death by his parents, John and Pearl Graham; his two brothers, Edgar Graham and Glenn Graham; and a niece, Gayla Graham Heggeman. He is survived by his wife of 24 years, Peggy Green Graham; son, John Clark Graham, Jr. (Anna Paula); daughter, Leslie Diane Faulkenberry (Gene); one grandson, John Michael Graham; his two sisters, Pearl Louise Graham Thrash (Herman) and Kathryn Graham Tate. He also leaves to cherish his memory four nephews, Glenn Autry Graham, Barry Graham, Brad Thrash, and Janson Graham, as well as three nieces, Maureen Seaman, Pamela Howell, and Terri Lynn Golden.

Visitation will be held at Radney Funeral Home on Dauphin Street on Tuesday, November 11, 2014 from 5-8 p.m. The funeral service will be held from Shiloh Baptist Church in Vinegar Bend, Alabama on Wednesday, November 12, at 12 p.m. The family will receive friends at the church beginning at 11 a.m. Interment will be in Shiloh Baptist Church Cemetery.

Directions to church and cemetery: From I-65, take exit 13 (Citronelle/Saraland). Turn left onto Hwy. 158 to Hwy 45 north exit. At 1st traffic light in Citronelle, turn left onto Prine Road. Go 2.7 miles. Turn right onto Beverly Jeffries Hwy. Go 6.4 miles. Turn right onto Hwy. 594. Go 4.1 miles. Turn right onto Deer Pakr Shiloh Road. Go about 8 miles to the church.

Memorial contributions may be made to Shiloh Baptist Church, 2298 Shiloh Rd., Vinegar Bend, AL 36584. Condolences may be offered at www.radneyfuneralhome-mobile.com. Arrangements by Radney Funeral Home, 3155 Dauphin Street, Mobile, Alabama 36606.