Lee Graham

Graham, Lee 76, passed away peacefully Monday, July 29, 2013, with his family by his side. He was born in Albuquerque on Oct. 11, 1936, to Claude Reeves and Ruth Ella (Baldwin) Graham. Lee was a rancher of Datil for nearly 60 years. Datil was founded by his great-grandfather Levi Baldwin in 1882. Lee ran the family ranch since he was 12 years old. In 1961, he enlisted with the United States Army. Then in 1966, after being honorably discharged, he met the love of his life, Ms. Bonnie Lee Summers. He was her first and only date. They were married on Dec. 31, 1966. They resided in Datil much of their lives but also lived in Socorro and Raton. Lee was a jack of all trades, and everyone knew Lee had all the answers and any tool you can imagine. He always had a helping hand to lend and was a friend to all. Lee also was a heavy equipment operator and did ranch conservation work. He served on the Catron County Fair Board and was the volunteer fire chief of Datil for about 15 years. Lee always had a way of helping everyone with anything. He even dug every grave in the Datil Cemetery for at least 15 years. He loved working and serving his community. Later, he enjoyed building bird houses, and really just "tinkering around." He also was very sharp with computers; self taught, he built several himself. He was preceded in death by his parents, his beloved son Jimmy Graham in 1982 and his brother David Graham. Lee is survived by his loving wife of 46 years, Bonnie Lee (Summers) Graham; his devoted daughter Susann Mikkelson; his sister Ellen Hiles and husband, Don; his sister-in-law Midge Graham; special family friend Twila Henderson and her family; his nieces and nephews Kevin Graham, Wendy Fulfer, Stacy Graham, Leona White, Barbara Absher, Billi Gossett, Bobbi Hestand and Justin Hiles; his great-niece Kim Taylor; Alex Graham; and many other great-nieces, nephews, other loving family members and close friends. A celebration of life will be held Saturday, Aug. 3, 2013, at 11 a.m. at the Datil Community Center in Datil. In Lieu of flowers, memorial contributions or donations may be made to any charity of choice. To view information or leave a condolence, please visit www.danielsfuneral.com. Lee's care has been entrusted to: Daniels Family Funeral Services 309 Garfield St. Socorro, NM 87801 575-835-1530