Vance Graff

Vance Doral Graff, our loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, uncle and friend, peacefully left this mortal life on November 25, 2017, surrounded by his wife and children.

Doral was born in Provo, Utah on April 7, 1927, to Chester and Winnie Terry Graff.  Doral then moved to Idaho with his parents who soon returned to south Orem where Doral was raised on a fruit orchard, stretching for blocks in all directions.  From the days of his early youth and through his teenage years, the orchards became a profound part of Doral’s life.

Doral served in the Merchant Marines during the Second World War defending our country and the freedoms we enjoy.   He then served a full-time mission to the Eastern Canadian Mission from 1947-49.  After his mission, he worked briefly as a clerk at Geneva Steel and attended Brigham Young University.  He ultimately took a job with the Orem Post Office, where he worked as a mail carrier for 38 years.  In this capacity, he became a familiar face throughout Orem, and came to know many of its residents.

Doral met Afton Finch, the love of his life and his eternal sweetheart, while growing up in Orem.  They were school-mates at Lincoln High School, and corresponded while Doral served in the military and on his mission.  When he returned from his mission, they were married and sealed in the Salt Lake Temple on August 15, 1949.

Doral’s church service included his full-time mission, and multiple callings in his ward, including Ward Clerk.  After retirement, he served as a church welfare missionary at the Bishop’s Storehouse in Lindon.  He enjoyed assisting in the temporal needs of those he served.  Doral passed away with a strong testimony of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and a love for his savior, Jesus Christ.

In addition to his work as a mail carrier, Doral could always be found in his orchards, carrying on the tradition of his father: pruning the trees, irrigating the fields, and harvesting the fruit.  This is where his children, and many of his grandchildren, learned about hard work and the dedication required in order to accomplish difficult tasks.  In the orchard, lessons were taught about sacrifice, service, and love.  However, Doral truly considered his most important harvest to be that of his children and grandchildren.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Chester and Winnie Graff, as well as his brothers Wesley and Montel.  He had two siblings, Verus and Stanley, who both died in infancy.  He is survived by Afton Finch, his loving wife of 68 years, and his seven children, Raina Joy (Gene) Boxx, Diane (Jack) Pippin, Lori (Sam) Robinson, Sandra (Stephen) Clayson, Mike (Terri) Graff, Jeff (Debbie) Graff, Carla (Craig) Bennett, thirty-two grandchildren, and forty-eight great-grandchildren, with two on the way.

The family would like to extend our thanks to the staff of Summerfield Nursing Home and Brighton Home Health and Hospice for their loving care of our dear Doral in his declining months.  Your kindness and caring will always be remembered. The family also extends their thanks to Sundberg-Olpin Mortuary.

Funeral services will be held at the Lakeridge Fourth Ward Chapel at 158 East 1100 South, Orem, UT on Saturday, December 2, 2017, at 11 AM.  Family and friends may attend a viewing prior to the service from 9:30 to 10:45 AM that morning at the church. Burial will be in the Orem City Cemetery.

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