Obituary of Alfred Arthur Graves

Alfred "Al" Arthur Graves, 73, entered into rest Friday, May 23, 2014. Born in Miami, FL on December 10, 1940 he was the son of the late Alfred Graves and Ruth Rhodarmer. Al lived in Swansea SC with his longtime companion and partner, Dorothy Stafford. When he was a child, his grandfather taught him a love of the outdoors and how to identify plants and trees. Al carried that interest his entire life, making it into his life's work and also his avocation. He attended NC State University and Clemson University and studied botany, plant pathology and science education. Al was an avid tennis player and met twice a week with a group of friends for hard-fought games that gave the winner bragging rights until the next meeting. He hiked trails everywhere he could and particularly loved the mountains of the Smokies and the Blue Ridge. Al was active in the Sierra Club and served as Outings Chairman at the local and state levels and also was an outings leader. He considered the whole world his classroom and loved to teach people how to identify and appreciate the natural world. Al very much enjoyed traveling and had a particular fondness for the deserts and mountains in the west. His next big plan was to hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Al owned retail and wholesale plant nurseries and was a landscape designer. He always had some form of plant nursery wherever he lived. Currrently, he was teaching Environmental Science, Human Biology and Astronomy at Limestone College. Although Al had no Native American heritage himself, he was intensely interested in the culture and history and said that he felt a special connection with the Native Americans he met. Several years ago a friend of Native American heritage taught him to weave pinestraw baskets. After learning the basics, he decided to find out how many sizes and shapes he could think up and he became an accomplished basket-weaving artist. He received invitations from all over the southeast to participate in craft shows, demonstrations and exhibitions of his baskets. Al is survived by his sister, Susan Hartter, of Naples, FL; brother, Donald Rhodarmer, of Canton, NC; son, Tyson Graves, of Raleigh, NC; daughter, Julie Buchanan, of Greenville, SC. A Gathering of Friends to celebrate Al's life will be held Friday, May 30, 2014 at 6:30pm at Loft 201, 701 Whaley Street, Columbia SC 29201. Woodridge Funeral Home is assisting the family. In lieu of flowers please send memorials in honor of Al to Friends of the Congaree Swamp, PO Box 7746, Columbia SC 29202.