Deceased November 24, 2020
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In Memory
William James Graham died on Nov. 24, 2020, near his home in Westwood, Mass. He was 97.
Bill graduated cum laude from Amherst in 1948. He had enlisted in 1943 and saw action in Luzon, Philippines, as an infantry officer. After he graduated, he was called back into service and served as the training officer at Camp Gordon, Ga.
Bill met Natalie Stolk at a wedding in 1950; they married a year later and had seven children. Natalie predeceased Bill by 10 months. They are buried together in New London, N.H.
Bill joined Owens-Illinois Inc. in 1953 and worked there for 33 years; by the time he retired, he had managed all key divisions at the company. He was on various professional and civic boards. He joined GW Plastics Inc. as a director in 1983 and remained active until the company was sold in 2020.
Bill was a fierce competitor; sports was a big part of his life and character. He taught himself to play tennis at age 7 and played for 80-plus years. He was captain of the Amherst tennis team and played competitively until he was injured at age 88. At that point, he was ranked number 2 nationally by the USTA. He played golf until he died; he had two holes-in-one after the age of 85.
Bill and Natalie moved from Portola Valley, Calif., to Fox Hill Village in 2012 to be closer to family and to New Hampshire, where they had a family gathering place.
It is fitting that Bill died with The Wall Street Journal open on his lap. He had an insatiable appetite for business and finance (and sports), but mostly he loved his family: Natalie; their seven children; 12 grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; brother Robert ’53; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Susan Graham Fitzgerald