Edward “Eddie” Howell Graeff, Jr.

Edward “Eddie” Howell Graeff Jr. - October 8, 1957 to September 11, 2025.

Eddie was the son of the late Edward Howell Graeff Sr. and Maude Frances Haynes-Graeff of Elsinboro Township in Salem County, New Jersey.

Born and raised on the Haynes’ family Riverview Dairy farmstead in Elsinboro, Eddie’s interest in farming began young. He learned well by his dad, uncles and cousins while working on the farm and it soon became his livelihood. After school he would head for the barn to help with milking chores, cleaning tanks, calf stalls, feeding up for the night or whatever needed to be done. He worked in the fields, cared for the livestock, loaded hay and straw square bales in the summer and put up corn silage for the winter. He often recalled dipping a cup of cold milk from the tank on a summer day and fun times with his cousins, holiday dinners and picnics, his Grammie Haynes’ asparagus soup and fresh-baked cakes on the kitchen table, and his Pop-Pop Haynes’ coffee, farm-style breakfasts and ice cream stand at the farm. In season, he helped his Uncle Ben pull sugar corn for Ben’s popular roadside farmstand and knew just how to choose the perfect ear of corn. In his younger years, while spending time on his sister Linda VanPelt’s horse farm in Alloway, he helped break in bronco horses, went on trail rides and to the Cowtown Rodeo with her family and friends.

He attended Elsinboro School and was a quarterback scoring many a touchdown for their football team coached by his uncle Ben Haynes; he also played on the school basketball and baseball teams. He attended Salem High School while completing diesel mechanics and small engine repair courses at the Salem County Vo-Tech Institute. He was a member of the Walnut Street First United Methodist Church in Salem and former member of the Elsinboro Fire Company. He learned to hunt wild game on the farm with his family and friends and enjoyed upland hunting and times spent hunting pheasant and quail back on “Pumpkin Hill” in Elsinboro. He was a member of the NRA and looked forward to deer hunting each year on Muddy Acres Farm with the Hinchman’s and friends. He had the eye of an eagle and could spot even the smallest of game from a great distance. Back in the day, he trapped muskrats, learned the fur trade with his father-in-law “Skeeter” Harris and commercial crabbed and net-fished for a few years with friend, Ronny Jacobs. He also cut and sold many a cord of firewood in the wintertime to make a few extra dollars. He enjoyed boating and fishing in the Delaware River and Bay and flounder fishing in Avalon/Stone Harbor, NJ. He liked music and learned to play the drums as a teen. He liked going on motorcycle rides on his Harley-Davidson with his friends and family, was a former member of the Elsinboro VFW Post 253 and enjoyed playing a few games of Yahtzee there on Friday afternoons.

More recently, he even spent some beach and ocean time with Karen in Avalon and Stone Harbor Point, and joined his sister and her family on a couple of celebration cruises to the Bahamas and Caribbean. In the 1970’s he worked part-time for some of the local farmers, at Johnny James gas station and Morton’s Magnavox TV store in Salem. He worked full-time for H. J. Heinz in Salem loading trailers, the Salem County Roads & Bridges Dept. from 1976 until 1991 and Mannington Mills, Inc. from 1991 until 2001. He was a well-liked, dependable, hard-working employee and always on the job early. In 1984, while working full-time shift-work jobs, he began buying the used equipment needed and a few beef cattle to get started farming part-time. Encouraged by his wife to go all-in, in 2001 he made the decision to leave his job and farm full-time. He grew to own and operate a successful farm operation growing all types of grain and mixed grass hay crops varying from year to year. For several years, he farmed 1,000+ acres in Salem and Cumberland Counties with the help of close family, his farming buddies and former coworkers he would hire on at busy times. At one point, he raised and sold over 100 head each of cattle and hogs for market. Ed and his dad also did custom combining together for a short time while his dad was able. Well-known and respected as one of the largest mixed grass hay growers in the area, he established a regular clientele throughout South Jersey and took good care of his hay customers. He took pride in making top quality horse and cattle hay and growing his field crops. Ed enjoyed shooting the breeze about most anything with his friends, family and customers, often calling or stopping to visit his nephew, Bill VanPelt at Pole Tavern Equipment, Farm-Rite and Les Fogg stores, the late Donald Scheese, Don Sr., Donnie, the Hills, Herbie, Flip and their gardens, “Popcorn”, Dean, Bob, Todd, Earl, Russ, Greg, Sal, Kevin, Mike, Jon, Danny and Dickie to name just a few. Much like his Pop-Pop Haynes, there was an ornery, joking side of his personality that would have you guessing as to just what he might say next. He liked antique farm tools, buying and reselling quality farm equipment, the challenge of getting a good deal and going to farm sales and heavy equipment auctions, especially the annual Lancaster County MM Weaver Auction and their famous creme-filled donuts. He had an ink pen and notepad collection picked up from the sales and parts counters of almost every farm dealer in South Jersey, Delaware and Lancaster County and from most of the sales and auctions he went to. He could run just about type of heavy equipment for whatever project that needed to be done. He knew the name, make, model and year of most any type of machinery and had a keen eye for spotting a good deal at a bargain price. He learned at an early age how to make a dollar which earned him the nickname “Mo’ Money”. He was always willing to lend a hand when he could and share his farming experiences and knowledge gained over the years with anyone who asked, from buying equipment, troubleshooting problems to successful crop-growing. He was grateful for his family and farming friends, especially Eric, Mark, Doug, Don, Donnie and the Hill’s who where there to help when needed, from loading hay, field prep, fixing equipment breakdowns to timely trucking of his grains and mulch hay to market, and also the business salesmen, parts and repair guys for their help and knowledge. He was especially thankful for the loyal farmland owners who trusted him to lease, farm and manage their fields year after year. He was an early riser, making coffee for he and Karen each morning and checking the weather to plan his day’s work and sometimes took a short “journey” ride in his truck to look at crops or stop to visit any of his friends or family who might be out and about. In the evening, he and Karen would often stop for ice cream and take a ride to check on his soybeans, corn or hay crops on the way back home. He was a master of time management and would say to Karen before heading off to the field for the day, “Now don’t cut yourself too short on time and forget to pick me up.” During hay seasons when loading, hauling home and putting away trailer loads at sunset, he would often ask her, “Do ya’ think we have time to pick up just one more load before dark?” At the end of the day he enjoyed sitting down to a home-cooked dinner and glass of iced-tea. He also liked a fresh Jersey tomato sandwich, a good crabcake, a grilled ribeye steak, Seagraves’ Sub Shop cheesesteak sandwiches and “Maude’s” home-made chicken potpie.

He also liked ice cream, milkshakes, shoofly pie, molasses cake cookies and those fresh creme-filled donuts whenever he could find them. After almost 40 years of farming and reaching his personal goals, in the Spring of 2022 Ed planted his final grain crops, told Karen that “it was time” and decided to retire from farming. He treated himself to some retirement gifts with a new Lazyboy recliner and large screen TV. He enjoyed watching Fox News, Gunsmoke, old western and Clint Eastwood movies, Moonshiners, American Pickers, Duck Dynasty, Livin the Dream With Captain Jimmy Nelson and most other outdoor/sportsman/fishing shows. With plans for another fishing boat and time to do some fishing again in the Bay, travel to Florida and a first time trip to the Keys, he and Karen were looking forward to their retirement time together. He always enjoyed spending time and having fun with his family, the many good friends, neighbors, acquaintances, former coworkers, business friends and farming buddies young and old that he had the pleasure of knowing over the years. On October 7, 2024, one day before Eddie’s 67th birthday, it was found that he had cancer. As this year went on, his body gradually became more and more challenged and tired. He didn’t ask for much, hoped for the best, never, ever complained and tolerated all that he was put through. But over the Spring and Summer months, the illness took a heavy toll on him and he began to pull away from his family, friends and life. On August 31, 2025 he was admitted to Inspira Medical Center in Mullica Hill under care of the 5West Unit team and Bayada Hospice. And on the afternoon of September 11, 2025 with Karen at his side, God gently reached out to call him home, and he quietly and peacefully let go.

Eddie was predeceased by his parents Maude and Ed; grandmother Beulah Lloyd; grandparents Benjamin Haynes Sr. and Frances Mifflin-Haynes; sister and brother-in-law Linda Graeff-VanPelt and William VanPelt Sr.; brother-in-law John Murr, John’s sons John Wesley Murr Jr. and Kevin Murr, and John’s daughter Denise Murr-Coyle; nephew-in-law William Robert Medlin III, his mentor and uncle, Benjamin “Buck” Haynes Jr., cousins John Haynes and Michael Haynes, aunts and uncles, Helen Haynes-Bacon and William Bacon; Ella “Jean” Haynes-Weber and John Weber Sr., cousin Johnny Weber Jr. and cousin-in-law Jay Tuthill; uncle and aunt, Clifton Graeff Sr. and Alice Miller-Graeff, cousin-in-law Danny Bower, cousin Clifton “Kippy” Graeff Jr. and his wife Joan Grau-Graeff. He was also predeceased by his father-in-law and mother-in-law Roland “Skeeter” Harris Jr. and Hazel Reeves-Harris; and former brother-in-law Donald “Mike” Tarry.

Ed is survived by his wife Karen Harris-Graeff also originally of Elsinboro who he married on July 1, 1978; his sister Leslie Graeff-Murr, her son Eric Edward Glaspey who Eddie grew up with and was like a brother, Eric’s daughter Brittany and child, Leslie’s daughter Deirdre Maude Glaspey-Medlin, Deirdre’s children Jeana, Ally and Bob, former brother-in-law Kenny Glaspey, Leslie’s stepson Bruce Murr, her stepson-in-law Ted Coyle and family; nephew William VanPelt Jr., his wife Kathi Beal-VanPelt, their sons Bradley and Brandon VanPelt and families; niece Leslie Jean VanPelt, her daughter Courtney VanPelt-Rambo and family; cousin Janna Weber-Tuthill and family, cousin-in-law Kay Weber and family; cousins Linda Bacon-Bradway and family, Karen Bacon-McMahon and family; aunt Barbara Haynes, cousins Benjamin Haynes III, Donald Haynes and families; cousins Raymond Graeff, Carole Graeff-Bower and family; and the families of his deceased cousins John Haynes, Mike Haynes and Kippy Graeff Jr. He is also survived by his brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Jim and Lorraine Glass-Harris; Dale and DeeAnn Mangan-Harris, Dale’s daughter and son, Kathryn “Ruthi” Harris and Seth Harris and their families; and sister-in-law Cynthia Harris-Tarry, her son Craig and family.

Interment will be private at the convenience of Ed’s family.

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