Long time Central Park resident Jimmie Dean Gragg Sr. passed away on July 13, 2023. He was born on Jan. 21, 1937 in Granite Falls, North Carolina to Floyd and Precious Gragg. He grew up in a logging family that lived in many places like Ryderwood, Naselle and Aberdeen. His father was a powder monkey and brakeman on logging trains.

He graduated from Naselle High School in 1955 and joined the U.S. Navy. His entire tour of duty was aboard the USS Terrell County LST-1157 as a Fire Control Technician Guns and Navy Shore Patrol. He achieved the rank of 2nd class petty officer.

He married his high school sweetheart, Deanna Doreen Dell on Feb. 23rd, 1957. Upon his honorable discharge on May 26, 1963, they settled with their three children in Central Park to be with the large extended family he married into and later added a fourth child.

He was employed with General Electric setting up radars all over the country, many of which are still in use today. Wanting to be home more he left General Electric and went to work for ITT Rainer in the lab and later worked for Harbor McCullough in the truck shop and also in the sales department selling farm equipment to all the local farms. When Harbor McCullough closed he went to work at Harbor Ford as a salesman before starting his own business as an owner operator of Deed Trucking, Inc. The business was named after his wife Deanna and his close friend and father-in-law, Ed Dell. He contracted with companies including United Van Lines, Gordon Trucking, Interstate and Freightliner. He hauled mostly from the Seattle area to the California bay area, but on occasion would do longer hauls.

He retired and sold his truck at age 68. He coached Little League and Babe Ruth baseball during the time his son played. He was an avid outdoorsman that loved hunting, fishing, hiking and camping in the Olympics. He and his father-in-law spent countless hours steelhead fishing on the banks of the Wynoochee and Chehalis rivers. He was an excellent golfer and a regular at Oaksridge Golf Course. Once a baby crow found him on the golf course and followed him through his game. At the end of the course he brought him home and named him Tom T. Hall after one of his favorite country singers. The mischievous little crow became one of the many family pets.

He spent hours listening to his favorite music, singing, and dancing with his wife and daughters. He loved watching old westerns. He was our own personal John Wayne. He had a rough and tough exterior, but had a big heart on the inside. One of his favorite sayings was “When you gotta go, you gotta go, pilgrim.” He was a collector of Charles Russell western paintings and books. He was a Mariners and Seahawks fan from the beginning and attended many games at the King Dome. He even got a concrete momento from the King Dome implosion.

He was a proficient writer, he wrote many letters to the editor of The Daily World newspaper and countless poems to his wife. He had a long list of strong beliefs which he never wavered from; respect your elders, buy American made, don’t show up to the breakfast table in your pajamas, no need to be out after midnight because nothing good ever happened after midnight and the list goes on. His list of sayings were bottomless and his inappropriate comments were never ending. He was a true patriot and loved putting his flag up the flagpole he had erected in his yard. Later in his life he spent hours on a bench by his flag pole chatting with family about everything from the trees surrounding the property to religion.

He is preceded in death by both parents, his three sisters, and his one brother. He is survived by his loving wife of 66 years, Deanna, his sons Jimmie Dean Gragg Jr. and Jodie Derek Gragg, his daughters Julie (Bob) Middleton and Jennie (Dean) Winkle, 14 grandchildren, 9 great-grandchildren, 3 great-great-grandchildren, and his two yorkie companions Peeka and Pip.

At the end of a visit or a phone call, he never would say goodbye, he would just say “love you much,” so this isn’t goodbye to the patriarch of our family, this is just love you much.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that any donations be made to the PAWS of Grays Harbor.