Goodbye Nick… there are acquaintances, friends, best friends, and life friends with whom you hold a special bond… my buddy Nick DeGraw passed away last night from complications with diabetes and heart disease, he was 76 years old.
When I was 11 and he was 13… he had just moved in across the street on MT Olive RD Budd Lake, NJ. We met on the first major snowfall (blizzard) and enjoyed jumping from my porch into the snow drifts that had formed. We had fun sledding down the mountain road (Cedar ST in the Pine King area) flying across Rte. 46 onto the ice-covered Budd Lake (hoping there were no cars crossing our path)! We grew up together and shared mutual friends despite the 2+ yr. age gap. He swam with me on the Budd Lake Swim Team until he graduated from West Morris High School (’65). He joined the military after graduation (Vietnam era) but was eventually medically discharged for diabetes. In the 70’s he began work in the data processing dept. (punch cards back then) for Allied Chemical in Morristown, NJ. He was always grateful he had learned data processing while at WMHS.
In the late 70’s he and his brother-in-law purchased a dairy farm (200 cows) in up state NY. I told him numerous times that it was a crazy decision…. Work 24/7/365!
Over the years, I visited his farm while on our annual family road trips to PA, NJ and NH to visit family and friends. In our later years we called each other monthly to catch up. After a devastating barn fire, he lost half his herd and sold the remaining cows. He continued to run the farm with the help of his son, Mark, and most recently harvesting the Fall crops. Nick always said that the farm work kept him alive this long.
Our last conversation was on November 17th, I called to wish him and family a happy Thanksgiving. We talked about his health and reminisced about our shenanigans during our youth… we would always smile and laugh! Nick, I know your family, friends and I will miss you…. R.I.P.! Your buddy, Jack
