Graham Norris Bramlette

Graham Norris Bramlette, 84, beloved husband of the late Alice Bramlette, passed away on Monday, April 29, 2024.

Graham was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina to the late Conway Graham and Sue Anna Bramlette.

He is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Alicia and David Maddox; his sister and brother-in-law, Orinda and Ruben Journet; his sister-in-law, Emily Rogers; sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Martha and Bill Hill; nephews, Andy Rogers (Jennifer) and Mark Rogers (Kara); niece, Stephanie Caddell (Josh); great nephews, Ethan and Stephen; and great nieces, Shaylie, Lexie, Elizabeth and Kinsley. Graham always enjoyed and looked forward to our family gatherings with these loved ones.

Graham was preceded in death by his loving wife, Alice Ward Bramlette. They met at the hospital in Spartanburg where Alice was working as a nurse and Graham was her patient. Graham and Alice were married for 39 years. They loved to travel, try new restaurants, attend concerts, fairs, and festivals. Disney World was one of their favorite destinations with Mickey Mouse being Graham’s favorite character of all time. They shared many wonderful adventures together.

He was also preceded in death by brothers-in-law, Randy Rogers, and Bobby Ward, and by his longtime employee and friend, James Redding.

Graham enjoyed trips and adventures with Alicia and David over the years with his favorite being a trip to Disney World for his 70th birthday. Another of his favorites was their trip out west to Mount Rushmore and The Badlands. In more recent years, he enjoyed local day adventures with Alicia that they named “Gallivanting with Graham” which included trips to one of his favorites, the Beacon in Spartanburg, for their world-famous Hash sandwich and to the Clock on White Horse Road for a Chili Cheeseburger.

He was a member of Brookwood Church in Simpsonville, South Carolina. He loved to sing and enjoyed being a member of the Brookwood Choir for many years. He formed many special friendships during his time in the choir with his dear friend, Sharyn, being his favorite. Sharyn was his “drinking buddy” as they shared a love for Diet Dr. Pepper.

He was a proud graduate of the class of 1958 of Spartanburg High School. He played football and baseball for Spartanburg High. He always enjoyed attending his high school reunions and was loved by all his classmates. He was also a proud graduate of Clemson University, Class of 1963, where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Textile Management. After graduating from Clemson and a brief career at the Beattie Plant in Fountain Inn, he realized his calling was to work with his dad in the commercial floor covering business. He took over Bramlette Floor Service a few years later and built it into a very successful business serving South and North Carolina. He was known as a flooring expert throughout the commercial construction industry and developed lifelong friendships with his customers, vendors, and employees. In the mid-2000s, after a life changing illness, he retired and closed Bramlette Floor Service.

Graham loved baseball and had the unique opportunity to serve as honorary bench coach for North Greenville University under Coach Nihart. Graham met Coach Nihart while attending baseball games at North Greenville where his nephew, Andy, was a player. Coach Nihart graciously bestowed this honorary coaching title to him, and Graham was forever grateful. This opportunity brought him tremendous joy and he formed many friendships with the players. He formed specials bonds with some and was even given the honor of officiating the wedding of one of the players, Matthew Marrone, years after he left his coaching duties.

Graham was an avid Clemson football fan whose blood definitely ran orange. Go Tigers!! He learned the words to the Clemson Alma Mater in 1958 and could still sing it flawlessly just two weeks prior to his passing. He was a big race fan, especially NASCAR, and loved to talk “racing” with his sister. He was an avid collector of just about anything with extensive knowledge of all types of collectibles. He loved to cook and out of his love of cooking, he and his sister ran a small catering business in addition to their primary jobs. At Christmas time, their catering company would produce their famous “Merry Christmas cookies” from an old family recipe. Customers, vendors, family, and friends always looked forward to these famous cookies. Graham was also known for his famous pimento cheese and cheesecake. These were always requested at family reunions. He self-published a cookbook of our family recipes titled “The Ole Tiger Is A Cooking”.

Graham will be remembered as being a survivor. Graham has been able to thrive and live a good life because of the great medical care provided by his doctor and dear friend of 50 years, Dr. Steve Freeman. He survived Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and was pronounced cancer free in 2004. In 2013, he went through a nine-month life changing illness that resulted in the amputation of his right leg. His determination to be self-sufficient drove him to excel in rehabilitation. He completed a driving course and was given his license to drive with hand controls. He was completely self-sufficient until he decided to give up driving in 2022 but continued to live on his own doing all daily tasks by himself. Graham was a true survivor.

Visitation will be held Sunday, May 5, 2024, from 2:00 p.m. until 3:45 p.m. at Thomas McAfee Funeral Homes, Northwest followed by the memorial service at 4:00 p.m.

Family and friends who are unable to attend the service can view the livestream by clicking on the “WATCH LIVESTREAM” button located on the main obituary page.

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