The Apopka community in Orange County is mourning the loss of a beloved assistant basketball coach and a veteran of Orlando’s fire department.
“He was an excellent father. He taught us you care about others sometimes more than you care about yourself and then you know it’ll pay off in the end,” Roderick Graham, son of Earl Graham said. “He was all about helping others.”
The family is now getting ready to say farewell to their loved one. On Christmas Eve, Earl Graham went to the emergency room after feeling ill from COVID-19. Two weeks later, he passed. Two of his sons sat with News 6 to talk about his legacy and the impact he made in Central Florida.
“My dad was like a second father to those that have fathers but then those that didn’t have fathers he was like a dad to them. I truly cherish and appreciate,” JayRaj Graham said. “He cared about other people’s kids just as much as much as he cared about us.”