William Graves III

Woonsocket - William Graves III, 71, died Friday, November 6, 2020 at Miriam Hospital, Providence, RI. He was the beloved husband of Lee Graves and father of Carole Graves. 

Dr. & Mrs. Graves had been married for forty-eight years.

He was the son of the late William Lute Graves, Jr. and Mary Alice (Bennett) Graves, he had lived in Rhode Island for many years.

Dr. Graves was a professor of Professor of Humanities in the Department of English & Cultural studies at Bryant University, Smithfield.  He previously taught at Connecticut College, Rhode Island College, and Brown University. He was a graduate of the University of Maryland, where he studied Russian Literature and earned his doctorate from Indiana University in Anthropology and Linguistics.  

Prior to earning his doctorate, he also taught at universities abroad.  He was a Veteran who had served in the Vietnam War as a Marine and Special Intelligence Officer and later as a Foreign Service Officer in Russia. He was a prolific writer and scholar, a polyglot, a Fulbright Scholar and beloved by his family and friends. 

Besides his wife, he is survived by a daughter, Carole Graves.

A Celebration of His Life will be held at a later date.

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