David Finley Graham, 92, of Petrolia, died at 8 a.m. Friday of natural causes at his home.

He was born Monday, Nov. 23, 1914, in Pittsburgh. He was the son of the late David Finley Graham and the late Bertha Wietzke Graham.

Mr. Graham was a teacher at Moniteau High School from 1955-1967. He then taught at Butler County Community College until he retired at the age of 70.

A lifelong love of airplanes began when he was 10 years old. He was honored in 1996 by the FAA for 56 years in aviation. He was a licensed aircraft inspector for more than 30 years.

During World War II, he was a chief mechanic at Mobile Air Depot, Brookley Field, and was responsible for the safety of every wartime airplane that went through. It was there that he met and married his wife of 63 years, Dorotha.

Surviving are his wife, Dorotha (Kirk) Graham; a daughter, Dorotha Graham Thurner of Butler; a granddaughter, Dori Thurner of Butler; and two grandsons, Matthew and William Thurner of Butler; five great-grandchildren, Zachary, Alex and Olivia Staab and Grace and Finley Thurner, all of Butler; a nephew, Don Graham of Chicago; and a niece, Carol Hey of Butler.

He was preceded in death by a brother, Frank Graham; two sisters, Isabel Graham and Bertha Motznik; and a great-granddaughter, Hailey Marie Staab.

<B>GRAHAM</B> — Friends of David Finley Graham, who died Friday, Nov. 2, 2007, will be received from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m., Monday at the <B>Young Funeral Home</B>, Butler. The service will be private. Burial will be in the Butler County Memorial Park.In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Butler County Community College Scholarship Funds.Information available at www.youngfuneralhomes.com.