Graham died peacefully on 18 January 2013.  He had been pastor of Colwell Baptist Church, Isle of Wight, from 1984 to 1990.

 

Graham was a civil engineer by profession.  In 1960 he moved (with a young family) to northern Nigeria to serve with Sudan United Mission in supervising construction work at Vom Christian Hospital.  After fifteen years’ service with the Mission he was appointed warden of Crusaders’ residential youth centre at Westbrook, Isle of Wight (1975-1984); his enthusiastic involvement with Crusaders’ youth work had begun in schooldays and stretched across five decades.

In 1984 Graham took up the leadership of Colwell Baptist Church while joining the In-Pastorate training course at Regents Park College, Oxford.  He was ordained in 1987. 

Following his years at Colwell Graham gave time to a voluntary ministry among adults with learning disabilities, as part of the national work of Causeway Prospects; his personal leadership of the group at Ryde was maintained until the very end of his life.

Graham was born in Coventry on 24 July 1928.  He moved to Worthing at the age of ten, and later lived for some time in Gloucester, worshipping at Brunswick Baptist Church.  He is survived by his wife Betty (née Hayman), whom he married in 1957; by their four children Liz, David, Rachel and Sarah; and by six grandchildren.