Ben Graham was born to Ralph Bennie and Marie Graham in Corvallis, Oregon in 1942 and grew up on a farm. As a child, Ben loved participating in 4-H with his chickens and playing the piano. He always said he could learn to play any song on the spot for a nickel.
While Ben was in high school, he met United States Senator Wayne Morse, who became a friend and mentor. Ben attended Oregon State University and American University where he worked for Senator Morse and as a Capitol Police Officer in Washington, D.C. Ben returned
to Oregon to attend law school at Willamette University College of Law while teaching speech classes; he graduated cum laude.
Ben practiced law for eight years in Dallas, Oregon, during which time he was also President of the Board of Mentally Handicapped Adults and a member of Eagles and Elks.
In 1977, Ben moved to Las Vegas to become a prosecutor with the Clark County District Attorney’s Office. He served as a Chief Deputy District Attorney and the lobbyist for the District Attorney’s Association. In that position, which he held for 30 years, Ben was instrumental in shaping much of Nevada’s current criminal law and received numerous awards for his work. It was also during this time that Ben perfected his famous chocolate chip cookies. Together with his wife, Elana, Ben baked between 5,000 to 10,000 cookies per year to give as gifts to friends and loved ones. Ben also taught Criminal Justice for 29 years at UNLV and CSN. After this satisfying career, Ben proudly continued to contribute to Nevada law as an attorney/lobbyist for the Nevada Supreme Court for 14 years.
Ben married Elana Turner in 1978, who was the love of his life for 43 years. Together, they had four children and ten grandchildren.
Ben’s proudest and most notable achievement was co-founding Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers (LCL) program of the State Bar of Nevada with Coe Swobe, Esq. and Retired Justice Michael Cherry. This program assists lawyers with addiction issues. Over the years, LCL has quietly assisted countless Nevada attorneys and Ben received several awards from the State Bar for over 30 years of volunteer service with the program.
Ben suffered his greatest sorrow in 2012 when he lost his beautiful, caring, and brilliant daughter, Caroline, at the age of 30 after a long battle with breast cancer.
Ben loved his family and God, his fellow man, and his farm and daffodils in Oregon. He overcame many challenges in his lifetime which molded him into an immensely kind
person who helped so many without ever expecting anything in return. Ben mentored many
new lawyers and lobbyists. He was a member of Christ Church Episcopal where he served
on the Vestry and volunteered at Lobster Fair and other events.
To his children and their spouses, Ben was a true hero, close confidant, and constant source of support and unending love. His warm smile and embrace always brought comfort. He was incredibly close with his children and was a loving grandfather, developing a special and unique relationship with each of his grandchildren. His children enjoyed and cherish the memories of traveling to all 50 states as a family, on one trip driving from Las Vegas to Maine. Ben was a daily fixture in the lives of his children and grandchildren through his last day.
Ben is survived by his wife, Elana Turner Graham, his seven children and their spouses, 19 grandchildren, a nephew and niece and their families. His children from his first marriage
are Wayne, Lynmarie, Ben, and Lorissa. From his marriage to Elana, his children and their spouses are Turner and Nicole, Luana and Frank, and Elana Lee and Seth.
The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Ben’s daughter’s memorial 501(c)(3) foundation. Please make checksto the Caroline Graham-Lamberts Loving Life Foundation (www.carolineslovinglife.com) and mail to Elana Graham, 7121 Doe Ave., Las Vegas, NV 89117, or you can donate via PayPal at paypal.me/CarolinesFoundation
or @carolinesfoundation