Elwood M. Graham

Mr. Elwood M. Graham, age 89, of Ocean Springs, MS., formerly of Minneapolis, MN., died Monday, October 12, 2009. Graham was preceded in death by his parents, Maurice H. and Palma S. (Albertson) Graham, his twin brother, Maurice W. Graham, and granddaughter, Lauren Leigh Hill. Survivors include his wife, Anne, of Ocean Springs, MS., sons, Scott Graham and Blake (Teri) Graham, daughter, Holly (Frank) Hill, grandchildren, Colin Graham, Christin Johnson, Bryan Graham and Graham Brandon, and seven great-grandchildren. Graham was a graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School and was admitted to the bar in Minnesota in 1947. He was a veteran of WWII serving in the Criminal Investigation Division in both Europe and Asia. He took part in the military occupation of Japan under General Douglas MacArthur. After the war he became a special agent with the FBI under J. Edgar Hoover and served in Dallas, Detroit and Minneapolis. Later, he entered the manufacturing business as CEO of the M.H. Graham Corporation, following the death of its founder, Graham's father. In 1968 Graham moved the business to Biloxi, MS., where it became a prominent "Private Label" housewares manufacturer, employing up to 130 people until the business was sold in 1988. Graham was an early member of the Coast Crime Commission, served on the boards of several corporations and belonged to the Society of Former FBI agents. Visitation will be on Wednesday, October 14, 2009, from 5 PM - 7 PM, at the Ocean Springs Chapel of Bradford O'Keefe Funeral Home. On Thursday, October 15, 2009, there will be a private graveside service in Biloxi National Cemetery.