Mcgraw, Dennis R.

ALBANY – Dennis R. McGraw, 60, passed away unexpectedly Saturday, October 9, 2021. Born in Albany, he is the beloved son of Marcia Bendon McGraw and the late Daniel R. McGraw. Dennis graduated from St. James Grammar School, Christian Brothers Academy, HVCC and SUNY Empire State College. He retired from the Albany Police Department in 2013 and from the United States Coast Guard in 2016.

Dennis loved the Coast Guard and was very proud of his service. He had a successful and adventurous career with deployments in Cape Cod, the North Atlantic, the Caribbean, Central America and Europe. He took part in many rescues at sea and received numerous awards and recognitions. Dennis particularly enjoyed his deployments as a crew member on the USCGC Barque Eagle, “America’s Tall Ship” where he taught practical seamanship and navigation skills to Coast Guard Academy cadets and officer candidates. Dennis was also deployed to the New York City Harbor on a patrol boat immediately following the World Trade Center attack on 9/11, and later to Louisiana following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. He retired with the rank of Chief Petty Officer.

Dennis had a lifelong love of the ocean. As an Albany Police Officer, Dennis at one point skippered the department’s patrol boat on the Hudson River. In his free time he skippered the Dutch Apple moored in Albany. Later in his retirement years he was a Captain of the “Amazing Grace” in the Newport, Rhode Island Harbor. He was a licensed Merchant Marine Captain and enjoyed teaching basic boating skills and water safety classes. Dennis also enjoyed traveling, cooking, history, and reading. He was a great story teller and always made family gatherings memorable. Those who knew Dennis immediately liked him and he will be sorely missed.

He was predeceased by his father Daniel, maternal grandparents Grace and Thomas Bendon, paternal grandparents Dan and Marguerite McGraw, and his sister Donna McGraw.

In addition to his mother he is survived by his sister Deborah Casey (Thomas); brother Daniel McGraw (Kathleen); and nieces and nephews Lauren Powell (Rick), Jessica Perrott (Mike), Meghan Wilkinson (Curt), and Daniel, Rachael, and Keara McGraw. He is also survived by many great nieces and nephews as well as many cousins.

Relatives and friends are invited to visit with his family on Monday, October 18, 2021 from 4-7 pm at the Daniel Keenan Funeral Home, Inc., 490 Delaware Ave. Funeral services will be held Tuesday, October 19 at 9:30 am in the funeral home. Inurnment will follow at 11:30 am at the Gerald B.H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery, 200 Duell Road, Schuylerville. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a favorite charity.