Funeral For Baltimore Explosion Victim Joseph Graham Held Wednesday
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Family and friends remembered the life of 20-year-old Joseph Graham who died in the Baltimore gas explosion on Aug. 10.
A funeral began at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the Empowerment Temple AME.
Happening Right Now: Funeral service for Joseph Graham. It's very somber inside the sanctuary. @wjz pic.twitter.com/AN6oW644bh
— Avajoye Burnett (@AvajoyeWJZ) August 19, 2020
Family members wore T-shirts to honor Joseph Graham Tuesday night, one of the two people killed in the blast, as mourners funneled into and out of the Howell Funeral Home to pay their respects during Tuesday's drive-through viewing.
Graham's uncle Issac recalled the heartbreaking moment he saw his nephew inside.
"Only the thing I could do was ask him to wake up. Looking at him I just said, 'Wake up.' I wanted him to wake up," he said.
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Graham's body was found in the early morning hours on Aug. 11. He was a rising sophomore at Morgan State University pursuing a degree in electrical engineering.
As they continue to mourn, Issac Graham said all the family can do is lean on each other during this tough time.
"There's nothing in the world that can bring him back, but the memories, can't nobody take that," he said.
Graham leaves behind two younger sisters. His family plans to continue to honor him by working on the clothing line he started.
His family also thanked the community for its support following the explosion and while they wait for answers as to what happened.
He was one of the two people who died in the blast. The other was 61-year-old Lonnie Herriott. Seven other people were also injured in the explosion that leveled three homes and severely damaged another.
The explosion was reported around 9:42 a.m. along Labyrinth Road near Reisterstown Road in northwest Baltimore.