Stephen T. Graham

Stephen Tony Graham, affectionately called “Steve” by all who knew him, was born to parents Jesse Graham and Rosa Lee Graham on October 22, 1947, in Barberville, Florida. At the age of 7, his family moved to DeLand, where he spent all of his childhood and youth. Steve received his early education in Volusia County Schools and graduated from Euclid Junior Senior High with the Class of 1964, Euclid’s last graduating class. Steve was passionate about learning, an explorer, and extremely inquisitive. At the age of 20, Steve moved to Brooklyn, New York. In 1968, he started working at the Corporate Office of JC Penney. Steve was a “techie” before technology was popular. He started in IBM systems and moved on to Information Technology. Always seeking new ventures, Steve relocated to Fort Washington, Maryland in the 1986. He worked at the National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation (CFC) as an IT specialist. Steve loved music and in 2003 he pursued his career as a deejay. Considered the “Master of Music,” Steve was known professionally as DJ Swaami, working with many local and national musicians. In addition to playing at weddings, birthday and dinner parties, cabarets, etc., Steve played regularly at Tradewinds (Camp Springs, MD), Bay Street Nightclub (Lanham, MD), and the VFW (Suitland, MD). Steve was an honorable man and a gentle giant. A committed Christian, he loved the Lord and his family. He joined the Worldwide Church of God and later became a long-time member of Faith Outreach Community Church in Fort Washington, MD. Steve was an enthusiastic Bible scholar, witnessing whenever and wherever he found the opportunity. On Friday, March 22, 2019, the Lord gently closed Steve’s eyes and called him to rest at 11:51 a.m. Steve was preceded in death by his parents, Jesse and Rosa Lee Graham; 3 brothers: Jesse James, Ellsworth and Ronald Graham; 2 sisters: Elouise Graham Johnson and A. Sandra Graham Anthony. Cherishing Steve’s precious memories are 2 daughters: Stephanie Bunn of Plano, TX and Tanja DePaul (Derek) of Mechanicsville, MD; 2 sisters: Rozena G. Crawford of Deltona, FL and Lynn Ash of Heathrow, FL; 2 grandchildren: Taliah Autumn DePaul and Olivia Grace DePaul, both of Mechanicsville, MD; a devoted nephew, Gene O. Crawford, Jr. of Bowie, MD; 13 nieces and nephews, a great number of cousins, other relatives and friends; long-time friends and Bible study partners: Mr. “T” & Mrs. Mattie Tisdale and Joan Smith.

Tributes

Stephen T. Graham

October 22, 1947 - March 22, 2019