Graham Gore

Graham Gore of Orlando Florida, age 89, died peacefully surrounded by his family on April 29, 2020.

Graham was born on December 30, 1930, in Chiefland, Florida. His children loved hearing of his childhood adventures on the family farm hunting wild turkey on horseback through the pine hammocks with his brother and best friend Richie, catching catfish and redbellies on the Suwannee River, and dodging the charge of the dairy bulls.

Graham proudly served in the United States Air Force for 20 years and traveled to exotic locations around the world including the Philippines, Japan, Turkey, the Azores, and Greenland managing NCO clubs.  He married the love of his life Doris from Novia Scotia, Canada and they had two children, Linda and Michael, and one grandson, Robert Graham. A graduate of Valencia Community College and FTU, now known as UCF, with a BS in Business Administration in 1978, he joined the Independent Life Insurance Agency and retired 21 years later as the staff sales manager.

Graham felt the grace of God in his life. Despite living with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma for 23 years, he thought only of the love he received from his family, the good times they shared and how lucky he was to live long enough to be a part of his children’s and grandson’s lives. He instilled the essence of a meaningful life into his every day as a devoted husband and beloved father.

Graham was the best dad ever to his children – inventing magical “Gore Holidays” throughout their childhood, watching the sunrise at Daytona Beach with a box of Krispy Kreme doughnuts, sleeping in the back of their Datsun 510 hatchback parked on the banks of the Banana River to ensure a front row seat for a late night or early morning shuttle launch, and out-running the lightning on the Suwannee River after a bountiful day.

Graham is survived by his loving wife Doris, his daughter, Linda M. Watts and son-in-law Alan Watts of Winter Park, FL, his son, Michael J. Gore of San Francisco, CA, his best buddy and grandson Robert Graham Watts, his sister Flossie Mae (Slaughter) Mann of Cedar Key, FL and many nephews, nieces, cousins and friends.  He is preceded in death by his parents, Novell Robinson Gore, Sr. and Permelia (Davis) Gore, and his brothers Richie, Joe, N.R., LeRoy, and sisters Alice Matheny, Emma McIntosh, Eugenia Geiger.

A private service and burial will take place on May 8, 2020.  A celebration of Graham’s life with a Requiem Eucharist at Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Winter Park, FL will be announced later.

The family welcomes prayers and condolences.

Memorials are welcome to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, 1-800-955-4572.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Carey Hand Colonial Funeral Home, 2811 East Curry Ford Road, Orlando, FL 32806, 407-898-2561, www.careyhandcolonialfh.com.