Originally published at the web site for the Southeast Missourian. Thank you to Pat Graham for alerting me to Dempsey’s passing.

Dempsey Graham

Dempsey GrahamMORLEY, Mo. — Dempsey R. Graham[1], 93, of Morley passed away Wednesday, May 22, 2013, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau.

He was born Feb. 7, 1920, in Watts, Ark., to John Jasper and Silas Mandanna Copeland Graham[2]. He and Lillian D. Harris were married Feb. 21, 1946.

Dempsey was a retired truck driver for Halter Gas Co. in Oran, Mo. He was a member of the Church of Christ in Morley and a lifetime member of Morley VFW Post 5368.

He was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II.

Survivors include his wife, Lillian of Morley; a son, Wayne Graham of Scott City; a daughter, Barbara (A.C.) Bell of Batesville, Ark.; a brother, J.R. (Corrinne) Graham of Memphis, Mo.; a sister, Delois Goetz of Sikeston, Mo.; four grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by a brother, Denver Graham; and a sister, Berleane Cody.

Friends may call after 4 p.m. today at Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel[3] in Oran.

The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home, with Bill Bradley officiating. Burial will be in Forest Hills Memorial Gardens near Morley, with full military honors presented by the Missouri Honor Guard.

Notes

  1. The middle initial was for Rance, per his wife Lillian’s 2017 obituary.

  2. Two things here: First, this affirms that Danner’s first name was indeed Silas, as reported on the 1920 and 1930 census. Second, “Mandanna” is yet another spelling variation of her middle name. Other variations include Mandanner, Midaner, Daner and Danner.

  3. Curiously, the obituary at the Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel web site refered to Dempsey as “Dempsey R. Graham, Jr.” He was not a junior (i.e., named for his father). Otherwise, the text is identical to the Missourian’s obit.

Sources

Southeast Missourian, “Dempsey Graham,” published online Friday, 24 May 2013. Retrieved on Monday, 17 June 2013.

Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel, “In Memory of Dempsey R. Graham Jr.” Retrieved on Monday, 17 June 2013.