Hal Graham

Rest eternal grant to him, O Lord. And let light perpetual shine upon him.

Our beloved friend Hal Graham died early this morning after a courageous battle with brain cancer. Hal will be lovingly rememered at St. James for his gentle and quiet demeanour, his loyalty to our church and his musical gifts.

Please keep Barb and their family in your prayers.

Hal's funeral is tentatively scheduled for next Saturday 13 February (time TBD) and will be livestreamed on the St. James website and YouTube channel. More detalis are forthcoming.

Here is a tribute to Hal from fellow St. James member Al Lawrie:

Up until a few years ago, Hal was our Pipe Major in the Sandhill Pipes & Drums. Four years ago on a Saturday, the band was to have a Robbie Burns dinner & show in St. James hall - that was the day the church had the fire.

Hal had arranged for half-a-dozen of us to meet at 10:00am that morning to set up tables, flags etc. for the evening. When I got there, the building was cordoned off by the Fire Dept. The dish washer leaked water which got to the fuses underneath in the day-care causing the fire. There was no central alarm to the Fire station.

Hal being Hal decided to go early Saturday at 7:30am and it was he who discovered the fire & called 911. The alarm was ringing but at 7:30am, no-one was around to hear it. Smoke damage was extensive but the fire never got to the front or the sanctuary. I shiver at the thought of all the wood in the sanctuary
had Hal not gone early. But for him, I think the church would have gone.

Incidentally, we did have our Burns night some months later which was a great success. All thanks to Hal.