Levern and Levant Graff

 Levant Graff 

Gravestone Tour Stop: Levant Graff — Tug Fireman of Lake Erie

Here lies Levant Graff, a dedicated mariner from Tonawanda whose life was bound to the rugged life of Great Lakes towing.

Levant worked as a fireman on tugboats, the hardworking crew member responsible for stoking the fires, maintaining steam pressure, and keeping the engines running—an essential but dangerous job in the era of steam-powered vessels.

On a Sunday afternoon, while the tug Colorado 18 was moving past the foot of Main Street en route to the Great Lakes Transit Corporation dock, Levant was lost overboard. Despite the Coast Guard’s efforts, which spanned seven hours of search and recovery, his life was taken by the cold, unpredictable waters of Lake Erie.

The Great Lakes were—and remain—a vital transportation network, connecting towns and industries across states and provinces. But they could also be unforgiving. The work Levant and his fellow mariners carried out was essential to the economy and growth of communities like Tonawanda, yet came with constant risk.

His funeral took place at his home on 328 Adams Street in Tonawanda, and he was laid to rest here in City Cemetery.

Today, Levant’s gravesite stands not just as a memorial to one man, but as a tribute to all who labored on the lakes—men whose sweat and skill kept commerce moving, and whose stories are carved into the history of this region.

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LeVern C Graff 

Lost aboard the tug Sachem, Lake Erie

Here rests Captain Levern C. Graff, a lifelong resident of Tonawanda and a veteran mariner of the Great Lakes.

Levern Graff was a respected tugboat captain and a leader among waterfront workers, serving as president of Tugmen’s Union Local No. 7. He was also active in the community as a member of the Tonawanda Hook and Ladder Company, the Eldredge Bicycle Club, and the First Church of Christ. His life reflected the close ties between Tonawanda and the lake that sustained its economy.

On December 18, the tug Sachem disappeared on Lake Erie during severe winter conditions. Levern Graff was among the crew presumed lost when the vessel failed to return. The lake, vital to commerce and industry, once again proved unforgiving to those who worked upon it.

In the weeks following the disaster, Graff’s 1943 will was filed in Surrogate’s Court. His modest estate—valued at approximately $5,000—was left primarily to his mother, Mrs. Nellie D. Graff of 328 Adams Street, Tonawanda, who was named executrix. The will reflected a life shaped by hardship as well as duty, and plans were made for legal action related to the loss of the Sachem.

Levern’s death echoed an earlier family tragedy: his brother Levant Graff, also a tugboat worker, had drowned years before after falling from a vessel on the Niagara River. Though they died in separate accidents, the brothers now rest together—bound by family, by profession, and by the waters that defined their lives.

This grave honors not only Captain Graff, but the generations of working mariners whose labor built Tonawanda and whose sacrifices are written into the history of the Great Lakes.