Richard Burton ‘Dick’ Graff

January 29, 1939 – December 2, 2019

Dick Graff, 80, of Othello, passed away Monday, December 2, in Kennewick, Washington after a brief illness.

The eldest son of the family, he was born Jan. 29, 1939 at home in Sunnyside, Washington to Jacob and Erma Graff. Dick spent his early years in Sunnyside and attended school there. He married Sandy Slenker of Othello on Oct. 8, 1958.

In the summer of 1961, Dick started work in Alaska and after three lonely months sent for his family which included his wife Sandy, two-year-old daughter Lori Ann and 10-month-old son Scott Allen. Their home was in Nenana, 60 miles west of Fairbanks. He talked about how their first winter was spent in minus-70-degree weather with snow blowing between cracks in the log walls while the children played under a heated blanket spread over the kitchen table. They later moved to Fairbanks where they made their home for 25 years. In November 1963, they welcomed red-headed Kirk Anthony to their family.

Dick loved Alaska and was an accomplished heavy machinery operator working on bridges along the road to Mt. McKinley and later operated a crane on Prudhoe Bay during construction of the Alaska Pipeline. The family moved back to Othello in the 1980s with Dick commuting to Alaska to work for a number of years. Dick later worked in Oregon and Washington running equipment for local construction companies until his retirement.

He enjoyed the Alaskan outdoors and went hunting and fishing whenever he could. He and his good friend William Leslie had a favorite hunting camp near Fairbanks that they enjoyed.

Dick was preceded in death by his parents, sister Eileen Moore, son Kirk Graff and grandson Frankie Corral. He is survived by his wife Sandra Graff, daughter Lori Graff, son Scott Graff, grandson Kirk Corral and great-grandson,Sutton Corral, all of Othello. Also surviving is a brother Tim Graff (Sherri Graff) of Spokane and nephew Garin Moore of Sunnyside.

No memorial service is planned at this time. After cremation, Dick’s ashes will be spread at his favorite hunting camp in Alaska.