Joseph Scott Graves, 74, of Houston died on Saturday, July 30, 2022. Joe suffered a heart attack while on a beach vacation with his family. Joe is survived by his wife of 38 years, Elizabeth Mather Graves, his daughter and son-in-law Lindsay and Jose Hernandez, and two granddaughters Aria and Gemma. He joins his parents in heaven, Mary Frances Scott and Joseph Whitaker Graves, Jr.
Born an only child and raised in St. Louis, MO, Joe graduated from Webster Groves High School '66. Following that he studied at Rice University ('70, '71 BA, MChE) and Carnegie Mellon University ('73 MSIA, '78 PhD) and served on the faculty at Washington University in St. Louis for four years before eventually settling in Washington, DC.
Joe had a 30-year career in economic and management consulting, where he diligently provided advice on energy and environmental issues for over 100 clients across many sectors, nationally and internationally. He was a lifelong learner and enjoyed mostly non-fiction reading, continuing to stay current across the industry even into retirement.
Joe was a comfortable conversationalist and a patient listener who was always up for a good debate. He was strong in his convictions and rarely made any decision, no matter how small, without copious research. He was a dedicated and generous friend to many, routinely offering encouragement and intentionally seeking out new friends and maintaining lifelong friendships, even around the world. Joe loved to travel and made many wonderful memories abroad.
Throughout his time in Virginia, Joe was an avid sports fan attending countless baseball and ice hockey games over the years, mostly with his daughter. In his younger years he golfed and coached her youth soccer teams. Since relocating to Houston in 2015, Joe was able to be even more involved and present on the Rice campus - where he attended many sporting events, lectures, and alumni gatherings. He had recently been appointed to the Association of Rice Alumni Executive Board and was both honored and ecstatic to be able to serve his alma mater in this way.
A memorial service will be held at St. Luke's United Methodist Church on Friday, September 16th at 11am, followed by a reception in the fellowship hall. The service will be live video streamed at the link: https://www.stlukesmethodist.org/joe-graves/
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his name to Redemption Church of Houston, where Joe was a member, PugHearts of Houston Pug Rescue, or Rice University.