William Mark Graves, 72, of New London, NC passed away Monday, July 5, 2021 at his home.
Mark was born June 3, 1949 in Burlington, NC to the late Ben Wellington Graves and the late Jessie Lee Overman Graves.
There will be a private family graveside service at a later date.
He is survived by his beloved wife of 53 years, Janice Lee Phillips Graves; daughter, Stacey Graves; brother, Danny (Sherry) Graves; four granddaughters, Amity, Taylor, Morgan, and Kaylee; and five great-grandchildren.
Mark was a devoted and loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, and friend. He retired from Hendrick Motorsports, where he spent his career in NASCAR. He also enjoyed spending time fishing at the lake and off of Hatteras Island.
Memorials may be made to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, www.cff.org.
AND: This Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the four Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE race cars of Hendrick Motorsports will carry a special decal in memory of longtime team member Mark Graves, who passed away over the weekend. Graves was hired in 1984 by legendary engine builder Randy Dorton and built the engine that powered Hendrick Motorsports‘ first NASCAR Cup Series race win. He retired from the team‘s engine department at the end of the 2014 season.
— Hendrick Motorsports —
