Ronald Clark Graves, 74, of Seminary left this world for his eternal home with our Heavenly Father on Friday, July 14, 2017. At the end of a long hospitalization, he was surrounded by his family and a host of dear friends as he left his earthly body. He is now at perfect peace.

To know him was to love him, but more importantly, to know him was to know you were loved. He was a sweet and kind man who took seriously the greatest of commandments to love God and love your neighbor. He was faithful. Faithful to the Lord, faithful to his family, faithful to his church and faithful to his friends. He adored his high school sweetheart and wife of 56 years, Loyis, and was a loving father and grandfather. He was an enormous and loving presence in the lives of his children and grandchildren. He deeply loved and cared about all of his family throughout his life.

Ronny was a native and life long resident of Seminary, Mississippi, where he maintained his own father's service station and family farm with tireless joy. He was proud to be from Seminary and Covington County and genuinely loved its people. Born September 7, 1942, he was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Aden L. Graves, Sr. of Seminary. Ronny graduated from Seminary High School in 1960 and has maintained life long friendships with many of his classmates. He later went on to Jones County Junior College and earned a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in education from the University of Southern Mississippi.

Baptized in 1953, Ronny was a member of Seminary Baptist Church and a joyful servant of God each day. His life was his Christian witness. He was a humble servant of the Lord who was devoted to his church. He served as a deacon and Sunday School teacher and lived his faith daily by visiting countless persons in nursing homes and hospitals, by serving in the outreach ministries of the church and by visiting and taking flowers to the gravesites of loved ones gone. He lived his faith by being honest and fair and kind to everyone he encountered.

Ronny served the Covington County School District and promoted and advanced education in Covington County for over 35 years in almost every capacity. Upon his December 2000 retirement and final term as Superintendent of Education, he returned to the first job he had in the school system, driving a school bus, which he enjoyed for many years. He served on the Board of Trustees of Jones County Junior College. He was also employed by Woolwine Ford as a salesman, where he excelled and earnestly enjoyed working with cars and people each day. In his retirement, he met and enjoyed new friends in the Covington County Gideons, the Covington County Cattleman's Association and the Okatoma Cruisers Car Club.

The funeral will be held at Seminary Baptist Church on Tuesday, July 18 at 11:00 am with Dr. Timothy Hubbard officiating. Burial and graveside services will immediately follow at Evergreen Baptist Church Cemetery with special prayer by Reverend Frank Bishop. Pallbearers are Jonathan Graves, Aden L. Graves, III, Stacey Humphrey, Gary Humphrey, David Humphrey, John Graves and Frank Corban, Jr. Honorary Pallbearers are members of the Young Men's Sunday School class he taught.

The family will receive friends from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. on Monday, July 17, 2017 at the Billy M. King-Colonial Chapel Funeral Home in Collins and from 9:30 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, July 18, 2017 at the Seminary Baptist Church.

He is preceded in death by his parents Mr. and Mrs. Aden L. Graves, Sr. and his brother Aden L. Graves, Jr.

Surviving are his wife, Loyis Wilson Graves of Seminary; his children, Joanna Graves Hinshaw and her husband Corey of Jackson and Wilson Clark Graves and his wife Woodsen of Seminary; his brother, Roger Allen Graves and his wife Carol Anne of Summit; his sister-in -law, Cheryl Graves of Clinton; his brothers-in-law, Murphy Wilson and his wife Janet of Seminary, and Warren Wilson and his wife Elaine of Hattiesburg; five grandchildren, Aiden Cross Graves, Braxton Clark Graves, Graves Benjamin Hinshaw, William Harris Hinshaw and Anna Kathryn Hinshaw; and his nieces and nephews

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorials be made to the Seminary Baptist Church Building Fund, P.O. Box 81, Seminary, Mississippi, 39479.

Family and friends may sign an online guestbook at www.billymkingcolonialchapel.com