ED GRAFFIUS PASSES AWAY

Ed Graffius, Class of 1971, brother of Brenda Graffius Barna, Class of 1974, passed away Wednesday, December 15.

Brenda posted:

“I lost my brother, Ed, today! May you fly high and be at peace. I love you!”

Just to confuse everyone, Ed married Brenda Ridenour Graffius, Class of 1974. Yep, sister and wife both named Brenda. Ed and wife Brenda were married for 48 years, the same as My Mona Lisa when she passed away in 2004.

Brenda Graffius Barna is a nurse who lives in Hilton Head, South Carolina. Ed lived in Pleasant Valley with Brenda Ridenour Graffius.

Brenda the sister went from Monongah High to George Washington University, where she graduated as in IT Project Management.

Ed retired from Wal-Mart where he was receiving manager for decades. 

Ed and Brenda were children of Helen Mary Prahl Graffius and Donald “Chick” Graffius. So were Dave Graffius, Class of 1973, and Donald Graffius, Jr. 

Helen’s 12 siblings were George Prahl, Class of 1965; the late Charles “Tinker” Prahl; the late Jack Prahl, survived by his wife of 60 years, Shirley Jones Prahl; Paul Prahl, Lorraine Prahl Yaquinto, Robert Prahl, Betty Lou Prahl DeVores, Clyde Prahl, Coralee Prahl Delligatti, James Prahl, Thomas Prahl and the late Sarah Prahl Kerns Dusenberry.

The 1985 Thoburn schoolboy patrol, which included Ed Graffius and went to Washington with chaperones Bob Levelle, Roy Foster and Lawence Kendall, was a Who’s Who in Monongah history: Jim Foster, Pat Levelle, Dave Gowers, Dennis Prahl, Gary Haught, Joe Craig, Rick Yanero, Allen Lee and Paul Greynolds.

They all grew up fine.

Unfortunately, some of those 1965 Thoburn patrol boys, like chaperone Lawrence Kendall, passed away.

 

Ed Graffius; Gary Haught, who passed away in 2016 and is buried in the West Virginia National Cemetery in Grafton; and Dennis Prahl, son of the late George Prahl and grandson of Paul and Beulah Prahl.

Now they can patrol Heaven together.