Hewitt Knox Graham

Hewitt Knox Graham, 92 of McCook Lake, SD passed away on Friday, August 29, 2014 at his residence. Memorial services will be at 11:00 A.M. Saturday, September 27, 2014 at Morningside Presbyterian Church. Rev. David Koehler will officiate. Burial will be at a later date in Graceland Park Cemetery. There will be no visitation. Arrangements are under the direction of Meyer Brothers Colonial Chapel. Hewitt was born September 24, 1921 in Omaha, NE; he was the son of Edgar L. and Lena I. (Hopkins) Graham. Hewitt was raised in the Morningside area of Sioux City with his brothers Edgar and Ralph. He graduated from East High School in 1939 with honors and as a starting player in basketball and football. Hewitt graduated from California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, CA with a B.S. in Aeronautical Engineering in 1943. He was a letterman in Varsity Club at Cal Tech as a forward in basketball. His student projects included construction and maintenance of a research wind tunnel for GALCIT, the Guggenheim Aeronautical Lab at Cal. Inst. of Tech. Hewitt completed officer training school in Boca Raton, FL in 1944 and received his commission as 2nd lieutenant in Hartford, CT. He was placed at Yale University in Cambridge, MA. as part of his training before attending graduate school for engineering officers at Boeing in Seattle and assigned to the B-29 engineering group. He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps with a tour in France during WWII. He was discharged in 1946 as a 1st Lieutenant. After the war, upon request, Hewitt and other engineers returned to work at the Jet Propulsion Lab at Cal. Tech. He returned to the Midwest in 1951 for post-grad work at Iowa State University, and upon his father's death in 1952, moved back to McCook Lake to continue his family's aviation business, Graham Flying Service, until 1994. He held FAA pilot and mechanic licenses. Hewitt married M. Frances Gibson August 6, 1977 at the Little Brown Church in the Vale in Nashua, IA. For many years he and Frances enjoyed U.S, Caribbean and other world travel, family events and reunions. Hewitt was an active member of Morningside Presbyterian Church, the Sioux City Engineers Club and Cal Tech Alumni Association. Hewitt is survived by his wife M. Frances "Fran" Graham of McCook Lake, SD; brother: Ralph Graham of St. Paul, MN, a sister in law: Joanne Graham of Woodland Hills, CA and many nieces and nephews who will miss him. He was preceded in death by his parents, and brother, Edgar L. Graham. Special thanks to Mayo Clinic, Dakota Dunes Clinic and Hospice of Siouxland for the excellent care they gave to Hewitt. Memorials can be sent to M.F. Graham, P.O. Box 158, North Sioux City, SD 57049