Graham, Colonel John “Jack” Francis, 90, of St. Louis, MO entered his heavenly home on Friday, October 21, 2022.
Jack was born in Kunming, Yunnan Province, China to John F. II and Ella (Dieken) Graham on December 6, 1931, where his parents were missionaries. He and his sister, Enid (Graham) Fischer attended Chefoo School in northeastern China for British missionary children in an area under Japanese occupation. On December 7, 1941 the Japanese took everyone in the school as prisoners and they spent the entire war in three Japanese concentration camps until they were liberated in 1945 by the 11th Airborne Division. At the age of 20, during the Korean War, Jack joined the 11th Airborne as a tribute to those who had liberated them. As a Defense Mapping Aerospace Center (DMAC) employee, he took the first Point Positioning Data Bases to Vietnam to improve strike accuracy. He returned three more times to Vietnam and by 1972 had most of Southeast Asia covered with PPDBs.
Colonel John Graham served in the Army and Army Reserved for 39 years. He also served in Civil Service with DMAC for over 31 years. He also had the honor of being the first Commander of the 10th PSYOP at Jefferson Barracks.
Jack was a member of South County Baptist Church in recent years where he loved attending Bible Study and Worship Service. He was an elder at Good Shepherd Presbyterian, his previous church. He was also a member of The Gideon International. First and foremost, he loved the Lord, his family and his country. Raising five children, Steve, Jeff, Curt, Teresa and Kim with his first wife, Colleen (deceased) gave him great joy! One might say, “One of his greatest accomplishments”! He was a mechanic, electrician, and a carpenter and would help whoever needed it. Jack’s hobbies included stamp collecting, garage sales, keeping his yard spotless and traveling with his beloved wife, Gerry of 36 years. They shared many experiences together and created wonderful memories. Jack was also quite the prankster, jokester and story-teller.
Jack is preceded in death by his parents, his beloved wife, Mable “Gerry” Graham, his son, Curt Graham, stepson, Terry Milburn and his sister, Enid Fischer.
Jack is survived by his children, Steve (Debbie) Graham of Barnhart; Jeff (Shirley) Graham of St. Louis; Teresa (Stan) Forsythe of Festus; Kim (Ross) Wiegert of Barnhart; stepdaughter, Jeanine (Jim) Allsup of Scottsdale, AZ and stepson, Rick (Mary Anne) Milburn of Parker, CO. Jack was blessed with 10 grandchildren, 12 great grandchildren, 5 great, great grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins and many friends.
Visitation: at Kutis South County (5255 Lemay Ferry) Wednesday, October 26, 2022, 4:00-8:00 pm, then to South County Baptist Church for visitation from 11AM until service at 12 Noon on Thursday. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to The Gideons International and American Bible Society. Interment JB National Cemetery