James Dixon Graves Jr

Services for James Dixon Graves, Jr., 68, of Gilmer, will be held on Sunday, May 3, 2015, at 2:00 P.M. at Grubbs-Loyd Funeral Home Chapel in Gilmer. Burial will be in Glenwood Cemetery. Born on December 6, 1946, in Gilmer, Texas, to J.D. and Loise Graves, he died on Wednesday, April 29, 2015, in Texas City, Texas. Dixon was a two-year letterman for the Gilmer Buckeyes football team. He was a decorated Boy Scout, Life Scout, and a member of the Order of the Arrow. He attended Kilgore College. A veteran of the Vietnam War, he served in the Naval Reserve on the fleet oiler USS Neches. He spent his career as a Master Electrician. He was a Christian and taught Sunday School for many years. Dixon loved genealogy, traveling to historic places, and reading about Texas history and science. He is survived by his brother, Lynn Graves and wife, Cindy, of Missouri; daughters, Alicia Barrett and husband, Jeff; Ginger Pope and husband, Greg; son, Joshua Dixon Graves and wife, Jamie, all of Diana; and Angela Helbig and husband, Kurt of Tyler; grandchildren, Hannah Pope and husband, Halle; Connor Barrett and wife, Alec; Aubrey Helbig and wife, Abigail; Jordon Sartori; Liam Graves; nieces, Jennifer Bearden (Rich); Lindsay Bell (Russ) of Jefferson City, MO. He will be forever missed. The family will receive friends from 1 to 2 P.M. on Sunday, May 3, 2015, at Grubbs-Loyd Funeral Home in Gilmer.