James Kenneth Graves

It is with great sadness that we share the passing of James Kenneth Graves, 72, of Brawley, California. He was born on January 30, 1954, in Brawley, California, and passed away on September 8, 2026.

Jim attended Brawley schools and graduated from Brawley Union High School in 1972. During his last year of high school, Jim was an exchange student in New Zealand. After high school, Jim graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a bachelor's degree and continued to the University of California, Berkeley, where he completed his Juris Doctor and Master's degree in business administration.

Jim returned to the Imperial Valley over 40 years ago and began practicing law. He was a partner at Ewing, Johnson and Graves in El Centro, California, at the time of his passing.

Jim and Julie met through mutual friends and eventually married on the island of Molokai in Hawaii. After honeymooning in Tahiti and the other French Polynesian islands, their adventure together began and continued for 22 years.

Jim was predeceased by his parents, Dr. Wendell and Roberta Graves. He is survived by his wife, Julie (neé Asamen) Graves; brother, John Graves; and sister, Jeanine Fevrier (husband, Bernard), nephew, Miles Gabay; and niece, Catherine Gabay.

Jim supported many community activities and organizations which included the Stockmen's Club of Imperial Valley where he was on the Board for many years and served as a Past President; the Coalition of Labor, Agriculture & Business (COLAB) where he served on the Board; the Imperial County Mock Trials where he served as a scoring judge for many years; the Hunter Safety Education Program for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife where he was a class instructor for many years; the Imperial Valley Desert Museum in Ocotillo; and Donors of Valley Endeavors (DOVES) where his mother was one of the original co-founders.

Jim's hobbies and interests were numerous and eclectic. He enjoyed reading, mostly nonfiction; listening to music, especially his 60's music; gardening, where he loved to share his bounty with friends and neighbors; quad riding in the surrounding desert and mountain ranges; feeding the hummingbirds and other birds around the house; his solo "walkabouts" discovering wherever the road would take him; hiking; photography; he especially loved the island of Kauai and loved the beauty of Wyoming; and last but not least, Jim loved his black and white companions, the English Springer Spaniels who served as his 4-legged children.

Services will be held at Frye Chapel (799 South Brawley Avenue) in Brawley, California on September 30, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. Burial will be private. A Celebration of Life will follow the service at the Stockmen's Club of Imperial Valley (275 Marjorie Avenue) in Brawley, California.
We ask that you honor Jim by wearing Hawaiian attire to his service and Celebration of Life.