James Harvey Graham

Funeral Services for James Harvey Graham, 82, of Pittsburg, TX will be at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, January 4, 2020 at Ebenezer Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Pittsburg, TX with Brother Keith Graham, Brother Mike Hall, Brother Dwayne Turner and Brother John Henry Griffin officiating. Interment will be at Ebenezer Cemetery.

Mr. Graham passed away December 31, 2019 from Alzheimer’s Disease at his residence in Pittsburg surrounded by his loving family.

Mr. Graham was born December 15, 1937 in Bivins, Texas to James Fred and Dora Dyer Graham.

Jim attended 22 different schools throughout East Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana before finally settling in Pittsburg in 1952 where he graduated from Pittsburg High School in 1955. He enrolled at Texas A&M University where he was in the Corps of Cadets and majored in Physics. He began his 33 year career at Texas Instruments in Dallas, Texas in 1958. Jim married the love of his life, Betty McNutt, on September 14, 1958.

Jim served in the U.S. Army where he worked on radar guided missiles. After his military service, Mr. Graham returned to his work at TI and went into Field Service from 1965-1967 serving in St Louis, MO, Sumter, SC, and Tall Timbers and Hollywood, MD. Over the years, Mr. Graham worked on many important programs including the Highspeed AntiRadiation Missile program. Upon his retirement from Texas Instruments in 1991, he then went to work on the F-22 Raptor aircraft program at Lockheed Martin in Ft Worth for several years. He retired from Rockwell Collins in Richardson, TX in 2004.

Community Service was of vital importance to Jim. He devoted years to Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Camp Fire, Plano ISD band programs and more than a decade coaching both boys and girls soccer teams including the founding of the Plano Youth Soccer Association impacting the lives of hundreds of North Texas children. In addition, he was a Deacon at Victory Baptist Church in Plano, the president of his neighborhood crime watch, and a graduate of the Plano Citizens Police Academy. After retirement and moving back to Pittsburg, Mr. Graham was involved with the Center Point Volunteer Fire Department, President of 557 Crime Watch, the Ebenezer Cemetery Committee, and a Deacon at his beloved Ebenezer Friendship Missionary Baptist Church.

Jim’s dedication to his family was powerful. His devotion to Betty and his children Mike, Lisa, and Angela was unparalleled.

Mr. Graham is survived by his wife Betty McNutt Graham of Pittsburg; son, Mike Graham and wife, Janna of Farmersville, TX; daughter, Lisa Porier and husband, Mike Porier of Pittsburg; daughter, Angela Graham of Plano, TX; brother, John Graham of Athens, TX; sister-in-law, Martha Graham of Pittsburg; Cousin, Geraldine Gann and husband, Joe Ben of Lufkin, TX; two brothers-in-law, John McNutt of Pittsburg and Tracy McNutt and wife, Lisa of Alma, AR; two sisters-in-law, Suzanne Blood and husband, Phil of Pittsburg; Judy Strube and husband, Jimmy of Pittsburg; two grandsons, Allan James Holmgreen of McComb, MS and Shane Walker of Farmersville, TX; one granddaughter, Tyler Graham of Farmersville, TX, and many loved nieces and nephews.

He is preceded in death by his parents; Fred and Dora Graham; brother, Jerry Graham; sister-in-law, Louise Graham; and daughter, Dawn Graham.

Pallbearers will be Allan Holmgreen, Shane Walker, Jim Graham, Don Graham, Justin Graham and Cameron Graham.

Honorary Pallbearers will be John Graham, John McNutt, Jimmy Strube, Phil Blood and Tracy McNutt.

Visitations will be held Friday, January 3 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., at Erman Smith Funeral Home in Pittsburg and January 4 at 1:00 p.m. until service time at Ebenezer Friendship Missionary Baptist Church before the service.

The family requests donations be made to Ebenezer Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, the Ebenezer Cemetery Committee, or the Alzheimer’s Association.

We would also like to thank Dierksen Hospice and Jordan/Elara Home Health for the incredible loving care and compassion given to Jim and the family.