Emil Fred Graf

Emil Fred Graf, known affectionately as Fred, passed away on March 6, 2026, at the age of 99 from complications related to congestive heart failure and cancer. At the time of his death, he was a resident of Arbor Landing in Pawleys Island, South Carolina.

Born on December 11, 1926, in Ridley Park, Pennsylvania, to Swiss immigrants Emil Graf and Rose Suter, Fred spent part of his childhood in Switzerland with family during the Great Depression before returning to Collingdale, Pennsylvania. Drafted at 18, he served in the Merchant Marine and later in the United States Marine Corps as a private first class and corporal, completing his active duty in 1954. On April 15, 1950, he married Dolores Ann “D” Bothum in Wilmington, Delaware. Together they raised three sons: Steven Fred, Bruce Kenneth, and Barry Lee Graf.

Fred worked for twenty years with the Atlantic Refining Company before answering a call to full-time ministry. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Christian education from Philadelphia College of the Bible and was ordained in 1970 at Faith Baptist Church in Brookhaven, Pennsylvania, where he had long been an active member. He served there as Minister of Christian Education and Assistant Pastor. A lifelong learner, he pursued additional training in counseling, which became a central part of his ministry. In 1997, Fred and D moved to Pawleys Island, South Carolina. They became faithful members of Pawleys Island Community Church, where Fred taught Bible classes, spoke as a guest, officiated weddings, and provided family counseling to the church and broader community. He remained actively involved in ministry until just days before his death.

Fred is survived by his three sons, Steve and Jan Graf, Bruce Graf, and Barry and Joan Graf, along with ten grandchildren and fifteen great-grandchildren. He was a beloved friend, counselor, mentor, and teacher to many, and he now rests beside his beloved wife, D.