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Visitation:
Sunday, August 25, 2024, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at
Holland Barry & Bennett Funeral Home
Service:
10 a.m. on Monday, August 26, 2024 at the Lincoln
Christian Church in Lincoln
Funeral home: Holland Barry & Bennett Funeral
Home
Obituary
James Glenn Graff, 98, died August
11, 2024. “Jim”, a lifelong residence of rural
Middletown, Illinois, was born on August 20, 1925 to
Wilhelmine (Husterberg) and Glenn W. Graff. Jim was
a graduate of Middletown High School then attended
Lincoln College until 1944 when he was inducted into
the United States Army during World War II. He
proudly served in the 35thDivision, 134th Infantry
Regiment, Company C, and saw action in the Battle of
the Bulge, Holland, crossing of the Rhine River, the
Ruhr Pocket, then ending at the Elbe River near
Berlin. He returned to the U.S. in the Spring of
1945 to Fort Camp Campbell, serving in the 5th
Division, and honorably discharged later that same
year. Jim was awarded several medals for his bravery
and service, including two Bronze Stars, a Purple
Heart. Jim wrote a book called Reflections Of A
Combat Infantryman which is a very personal and real
account of his time in the Army.
Jim returned to Logan County and attended the
University of Illinois studying agriculture. However
he left college after one year, as he had an
opportunity to return to his family home outside
Middletown to begin farming. Jim married Alice Last
on September 12, 1948. They continued to work and
live on the farm for all but the last few years of
their lifetimes, raising four children. Jim was a
true steward of the land and a keeper of livestock.
He was also a true citizen serving many roles
including: teaching Agriculture classes in the GI
School, a trustee of the Middletown Volunteer Fire
Department, served a term on the Middletown School
Board, served 25 years on the Menard Electric REA
board, a faithful member of the Middletown Methodist
Church, a lifelong member of the Middletown American
Legion and a member of the New Holland and Greenview
Masonic Lodge. Jim also was a lifelong member of the
35th Division Association, serving two separate
terms as its president, and a member of the 35th
Division Association ‘Hall of Fame’. Most
importantly, Jim was always available to help the
lives of many, no matter what their need.
Although Jim accomplished much in his lifetime, he
was most proud of his military service. |
Jim was a history buff which led to his being a founding member
of the Reactivated Civil War 114th Illinois Infantry Regiment in Springfield,
Illinois and the Springfield Civil War Round Table. Jim and Alice loved Polka
dancing and traveling throughout the United States and the World. Jim never met
a stranger, having acquaintances across the Globe.
Jim is survived by his four children: Ann Abbott (David), Marilyn Smith, Kathy
Esker (Fred) and William (Judi). He also leaves behind eleven grandchildren and
eight great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife
Alice, stepsister Glenna Hagney, son-in-law Joseph Smith and great grandson
James M. Esker.
A visitation will be held at the Holland Barry & Bennet Funeral Home in Lincoln,
Illinois on August 25, 2024, from 2:00PM to 5:00PM. The Funeral Service will be
held at 10:00AM on August 26, 2024 at the Lincoln Christian Church in Lincoln,
Illinois. There will be visitation with the family at the church one hour before
the Funeral Service. Internment with Military Honors will be at the Irish Grove
Cemetery.
For those who wish to honor Jim, Memorial donations should be sent to the 35th
Division Association, PO Box 5004, Topeka, KS 66605.
Click here to send a note of condolence to the family of James Glenn Graff
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