James D. Graham (Jim), 92, of Rockford, IL, passed away peacefully on October 4, 2026 at his home. He was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather, and his sense of humor, friendship and love will be missed by his family and friends.

Jim was devoted to his family, church communities, volunteering and hobbies. He loved fishing and also avidly enjoyed target shooting, golf, bowling and hunting. He proudly taught his daughters and grandchildren to fish. He had a great sense of humor and was always up for a little teasing or a joke.

Jim was born on April 15, 1934, the son of Albert Graham and Eleanor Trost. He grew up in Cedarburg, IL before his family moved to Rockford. He graduated from West High School, where he played baritone in the band. After high school he attended Purdue University, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1957. During his time there, he was a student manager for intramural sports. Jim earned his master’s degree in business administration from Northern Illinois University in 1974.

After college, Jim enlisted in the Army and rose to the rank of Sergeant before being honorably discharged in 1962. He developed his target shooting skills there, and after his time in the Army belonged to several different rifle teams, earning many trophies and medals for his accurate aim. He was a long-time member of the Beloit Rifle Club.

Jim married the love of his life, Mary James, on June 14, 1958 at Second Congregational Church. They started their family in Rockford and had two children, Janice and Valerie. When the kids were in middle school the family moved to Roscoe where they lived in the Ledges. They enjoyed living there and playing golf in the summers and bowling in the winters. After both kids graduated from high school, Jim and Mary moved to Bolingbrook for Jim’s career. Eventually they moved back to Rockford where they remained for the rest of their lives. They moved to Wesley Willows in 2017, and enjoyed the community there, making many friends. Jim and Mary were married for 62 years before Mary passed in 2020. Jim was devoted to her and they shared a wonderful life together.

Jim spent his career working in materials management at several different companies including Barber Coleman Company, Sta-Rite Industries, and Aircraft Gear Corporation. Jim was a member of the American Production Inventory Control Society (APICS), and received an Award of Merit in 1971 in recognition of outstanding service to the society in many roles including Vice President and Treasurer.

Jim found time while working and raising a family to volunteer his time and abilities to support the community. He was a life-long blood donor for the American Red Cross. He also was a board member for Goodwill in Rockford.

After retiring, Jim continued to donate his time and talents to volunteering. He volunteered for many years for Meals on Wheels, and for over 15 years at Swedish American Hospital delivering flowers and mail and helping people register in the hospital. Jim clocked over 3500 volunteer hours at Swedish American Hospital and only ceased volunteering in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He also worked with students in the Rockford School District through the “I Can Read” program for many years.

Jim was a long-term, active member at Second Congregational Church where he was a founding member of Stephen Ministries. Beginning in 2008, he became a member of St. Mark Lutheran Church and was active in the congregation and was elected to the church council in 2010, where he served the maximum of two, three-year terms. During that time, he was the congregation’s treasurer for three years (2011-2013,) Vice President for a year (2014), joined the Outreach Committee (2014-2020) and was President during his final year on council (2015). Jim was then elected to the Audit Committee for a three-year term starting in 2017. He also spent many years ushering for church services. He was devoted to St. Mark Lutheran Church.

Jim loved to travel and he visited Europe several times. His first trip was with Janice on a high school trip to France. His last European trip was to Switzerland in 2019 with Valerie. He also traveled to China three times to visit Valerie and her family, the last time when he was in his 70’s. Vacations in Northern Wisconsin were a yearly tradition for the family beginning early in the 1970’s, and Jim took the kids fishing while Mary took them canoeing. He also took fishing trips to northern Wisconsin and Canada with his friend Dave McClelland and his brother Rod. After they all retired, Jim and Mary traveled with Rod and Judy to Florida several times. Another favorite place to visit was heading to California to spend time with Valerie’s family and the grandkids. Later on, Janice and Michael’s cabin in Mercer, WI became a favorite place for family vacations. Jim enjoyed going there for time with the kids and grandkids, and of course fishing. He continued to enjoy these family vacations up north until he was 88.

Jim is survived by his children Janice (Michael) Stone of Cottage Grove, Wisconsin; Valerie (Suen Yan) Leung of Carmel, California; grandchildren Haywood Cooper, Lana Leung and Lien Leung; and sister-in-law Judy Graham of Lake Bluff, IL. He is predeceased by his wife Mary Graham, brother Rodney Graham, and his parents.

Jim’s funeral service will be held at St. Mark Lutheran Church on Friday, December 4th at 2:00pm, with a visitation starting at 1:00pm. Jim’s chosen final resting place will be at the Winnebago Cemetery where he will be interred next to his wife, Mary.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to:

Meals on Wheels or the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research

To send condolences or share memories online, please visit www.fitzgeraldfh.com