Graham Bury

Graham Bury was an enchanter of animals, classical guitarist, novice sailor, expert water-colorist, and traveler. He raised orchids in a hand-built greenhouse and took aerial photos of agricultural fields while hanging out of a prop plane. Graham was an adventurer both in life and in mind. He spent a lot of time thinking about the cosmos and researching the odd shapes of sand grains under a microscope. He paid homage to those adventurers who came before him, writing once about a man who risked his life in the Amazon rainforest to discover a small blue orchid, Aganisia cyanea, named after the lover of the god Apollo. These were his heroes—what made him an autodidact and inventor of worlds. He surfed the Pacific, grew tropical fruit, and was an exuberant foodie. He teased his friends and parents mercilessly, and always loved the humor of an uncomfortable situation. And yet despite his mischief, Graham was a deeply thoughtful and observant person. He could sense the sadness of a friend or the neglect of a flower, and did whatever was possible to cheer the environment around him. On Sunday, September 6th, Graham died in his home in Santa Barbara. He was 35 years old. His parents John and Pamela Bury and sister Nicole would like to thank his many friends who gathered round him for his last few days with songs and stories and love, friends from childhood at Waldorf school, from San Marcos High School, Brooks Institute of Photography and beyond, and especially his beloved friends from the “Joy Luck Club”–young adult cancer survivors who know how to enjoy life and feel lucky to be alive. Donations in Graham’s memory may be made to the Cancer Center of Santa Barbara.

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