Mrs. Pu Yol Graven, 86, died Monday, January 6, 2025, at Baptist Memorial Hospital – North Mississippi. Services will be planned at a later date.
Pu Yol was born on September 5, 1938, in Seoul, Korea, to the late Pil Nam Kim and Tan Yun Kim. She met her late husband, Harold, while he was stationed in Korea while serving in the United States Military. The two quickly fell in love, marrying on June 12, 1973, before relocating to the U.S. to start their family. While Harold continued traveling with his military career, Pu Yol stayed stateside to raise their two children, Monica and Jerry. They eventually settled in Daleville, Alabama, where Pu Yol was a devout member of the Korean Presbyterian Church. She served as church secretary, diligently taking care of her responsibilities and helping wherever needed. The gospel songs sang in her native tongue brought her great peace and joy, lifting her voice to the Lord with pride and reminiscing on her years growing up in Korea. She managed the Army Air Force Exchange Service Shoppette on the base of Fort Rucker, Alabama for over 20 years, where she would look after other young military families like her own.
Pu Yol’s true love language was food. Any opportunity to cook for her family filled her with joy, as she lovingly prepared her favorite Korean dishes. When the church would host holiday gatherings, Pu Yol and Harold would work together, as he would cook all the meat, she would coordinate with church members to bring together a beautiful extravaganza of food for the entire congregation. These acts of service were how she often expressed her love for her husband, children, and church family. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Harold Austin Graven.
Pu Yol is survived by her daughter, Monica Rucker and her husband, Bill, of Hernando, MS; son, Jerry Graven and his wife, Nicole, of Tiverton, RI; and two grandchildren, Jenna Jimenez and Justin Jimenez and his wife, Darija.
