Terry Michael Graham's Obituary
Terry Michael "Mike" Graham was born March 15, 1955 in Bremerton, Washington, and passed away March 6, 2017, 9 days shy of his 62nd birthday.... Mike attended Hunt Junior High, and graduated from Wilson High in Tacoma.
Mike was a avid motorcycle rider at a young age. He knew no fear of bodily harm as a youngster, whether it be little league football, baseball, or motorcycle racing, and because of this, often found himself in the winners circle when he participated in motorcycle "Scrambles racing"
(now referred to as Motocross) in the 14-16 age group when he competed.
After short stints working at Carl's Drive-in restaurant, and later at Irv's Mobil station, Mike joined the U.S. Navy where he learned his trade as a machinist. After serving on a Naval repair ship his entire enlistment, he returned to Tacoma and became employed with ITT Henze Valve Services, (now named Furmanite) plying his Lathe expertise to machining and repairing high pressure steam valves.
Mike became so proficient at his trade, he soon became to be known as "The guy to send" on out-of-state jobs the company received that ranged from Tacoma to the Midwest, and southward to Texas.
An avid Beatles, Mariner, and Seahawk fan, Mike could often be found on weekends with several of his friends placing bets on scorecards at the Baltimore street VFW Club in Tacoma..
Those who will miss Mike most include sons Steven Graham (Georgia), David Graham, grandson Griffin Graham, Mother JoAnn Graham, father Wayne Graham (Carol) brother Richard Graham Lund (Katherine) and sister Lori Robak (Chris), nephews Trygve and Peter Lund, and nieces Julie Robak and Kristin Robak Ely (Brian).
As we family members look back over the years, who can forget the episode of Mike sitting at the kitchen table for over an hour one evening, staring at a piece of meat loaf and stubbornly refusing to take even a single bite his mother had insisted he at least try, before he would be allowed to leave the table... (Meatloaf later became one of his favorite mealtime offerings, and he often prepared it for himself in the years to come.) Neither his Mother nor I now remember who won the Meat loaf stand-off, but if you're a betting person, well, you might want to seriously consider putting your money on "The Kid with the cute boyish face and smirking smile." That would be Mike. Impish and sometimes mischievous in his younger days, but no matter, Mike was Mike, He was "OUR MIKE," and we loved him dearly......
The family of Terry Michael "Mike" Graham
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