Walter Graves Jr. was born March 9, 1968, in Hughes, Arkansas. The son of Walter Graves Sr. and Bertha Mae Mathis, Walter Jr. spent his early years in Arkansas before the family moved to Houston.

A Booker T. Washington High School graduate, Walter enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1988. After completing boot camp, he served at Headquarters & Headquarters Company Aviation Brigade at Ft. Ord in California. His eight years of military service included deployment to help with the U.S. invasion of Panama. He earned several awards, including the Army Service Ribbon, National Defense Ribbon and the Army Good Conduct Medal. At the time of his honorable discharge in 1996, he held the rank of E4 Petroleum Supply Specialist.

Back home, Walter joined the Harris County Sheriff's Office as a jailer. It would not be long before he yearned for more and enrolled in the peace officer training program at the University of Houston-Downtown. His first job as a police officer was at Texas Southern University in 2000. From 2005 to 2008, he was back at the Harris County Sheriff's Office, serving as a deputy. Then in 2003, he decided he could give even more, so he signed up to become a Houston firefighter. He held positions in the Houston Fire Department and as a motorcycle officer for the Waller County Precinct 3 Constable up until his death.

Walter's passion for helping others is evident in his life of service. He loved the challenges of being a firefighter and a police officer, but most of all, he loved being there to help people in their moments of crisis.

When Walter was not working, you could find him traveling, fishing, golfing or on the water. The love of his life, Qawanna, and their four children always came first.

Walter is survived by his wife, Qawanna; his children, Gerayl Graves, Darius Graves, Kennedy Mason and Tremaine Graves; his father, Walter Graves Sr. and wife Jane Ann; his mother, Bertha Mae Mathis; his sister, Patrice Graves; his sister, Tara Coleman and husband Fred; his sister, Adrienne Jarrett; his brother, Elliott Graves; his brother, Terrance Graves; his mother-in-law, Sonya Hammonds; his father-in-law, Herman Hammonds; his sister-in-law, Nikki Hammonds; five grandchildren; nine nephews and nieces; and two special people he loved, Ericka and James Slade.

The family wishes to share their sincere thanks and gratitude to the Houston Fire Department, the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association, the Houston Black Fire Fighters Association, the Waller County Precinct 3 Constable's Office, the doctors and nurses at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, and Klein Funeral Home for the overwhelming amount of support during this difficult time.

A funeral service celebrating Walter's life and career will be held at 10 AM Monday, July 18, at Champion Forest Baptist Church, 15555 Stuebner Airline Road, Houston. Interment with military honors will follow the service at Houston National Cemetery.

Psalm 27