Rufus C. Graves was born Nov. 26, 1946 in Birmingham, Alabama to the late Odell and Mary Elizabeth Harris Graves. He was the second of four children. He departed this life on Friday, March 10, 2023 at the age of 76.
He graduated from North Jefferson High School in Warrior, Alabama. He accepted Christ at an early age and joined St. James United Methodist Church under the pastorage of Rev. Luke Bolling. He was retired from US Steel after 30 years of service.
Rufus met and married Dorothy Haley and later joined Pleasant Grove United Methodist Church in Colony, Alabama. They were blessed with two children, Jonathan and Monique. As a hobby, Rufus enjoyed playing baseball and was a left handed pitcher for the Warrior team. He also enjoyed playing dominoes at the Senior Citizen Building in Colony.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his stepmother, Ellouise Robinson Graves; brothers, Odell, Jr. and Reginal Graves; one sister and his mother-in-law Sylvia Haley.
He leaves to cherish his memories a devoted wife of 48 years, Dorothy H. Graves; one son Jonathan (Jamie) Graves of Hanceville; one daughter, Monique Graves of Colony, Al.; one sister Mary Chiles of Birmingham, Al.; 7 grandchildren; one nephew, Caesar (Syreeta) Chiles, Jr. of Augusta, Ga.; 3 nieces, LaTonya Chiles of Birmingham, Al., Marion Graves of Indianapolis, In. and Mariyah Graves of California; 3 great-nieces and one great-nephew; and a host of other relatives and friends.
Funeral services will be 12 p.m. Saturday, March 18, 2023 at Hanceville Funeral Home Chapel. Burial will follow at Colony Cemetery in Colony, Alabama. Visitation for the public will be from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. at the funeral home on Saturday.
