Walter H. Graf

Walter H. Graf, 71, rural Audubon, Minnesota, died Sunday, January 2, 2011 at his home surrounded by family, under the care of hospice of the Red River Valley. Walter was born on February 24, 1939, the son of Otto and Hulda (Grueneich) Graf in Napoleon, North Dakota. He attended school in Napoleon and completed high school at Cleveland, ND, where he enjoyed playing on the basketball team. He served in the Valley City and Fargo National Guard where he was honorably discharged after six years of service. He began working for contractors as an electrical lineman and eventually went to work for Cass County Electric in Kindred as a lineman. Walter was united in marriage to Elaine Jordheim on May 25, 1963 at Kindred Lutheran Church in Kindred, ND. Later they moved to Palm Springs, California where Walter worked for Southern California Edison Company and then worked for the City of Anaheim Power Company. After two years in CA, they moved to Sitka, Alaska, and shortly after, on to Anchorage. Walter worked as a lineman for Chugach Electric for eleven years, before moving to rural Audubon to pursue his dream of farming. He worked for the City of Detroit Lakes as an Electrical Lineman until retiring in 1999. During his retirement years he continued to work on his hobby farm and also worked for Donovan Construction Company in the summer months until his health forced him to fully retire. He served one term on the Becker County Fair Board. Walter was not one who could sit still for very long. He was always finding something to do, whether it was driving around on his John Deere tractor, tending to his many animals he had throughout the years, or attending auctions to gather treasures. Walter enjoyed hunting and fishing during his years in Alaska, and spending time with his family teaching things such as how to ride a horse, how to milk a cow or how to keep an eye out for invisible electric fences. Walter is survived by his wife, Elaine Graf of rural Audubon, MN; daughter, Jeanne (Jeff) Soyring of Detroit Lakes, MN; son, Joel Graf (Angela Juven) of Embden, ND; five grandchildren, Melissa (Mike) Butler, Meaghan (Peter) Dullea, Alex, Austin and Anna Soyring; six great-grandchildren, Rilee and Kaelyn Dullea; Ty, Macee, Drew and Eli Butler; his mother, Hulda Graf of Fargo, ND; two brothers, Larry (Betty) Graf of Mapleton, ND; Gerald (Kathy) Graf of Ramona, CA; five sisters, Marcella Haman of Bismarck, ND; Esther Hughes of Des Moines, WA; Delores (Chuck) Deery of Grand Forks, ND; Phyllis (John) Gluth of Temecula , CA; Gladys Graf of Anchorage, AK; and numerous nieces and nephews. Walter was preceded in death by his father, two brothers, Albert and Wilbert Graf, and a brother-in-law, Gus Haman. Walter was loved by many for his quiet, kind nature and will truly be missed.