Man was found floating in ocean

It wasn’t unusual for Kevin Dion Graham to disappear for days at a time, said Kerlyn Graham, his wife of 18 years.

“This is typical for Kevin. When he needs to clear his head, he’ll go away for a few days,” said Graham, of Lauderdale Lakes.

She had trained herself not to fret when the 52-year-old retired naval officer would take off like he did Friday night. But this time was different. She was notified by authorities Sunday morning that his body was found floating in the ocean near the Commercial Boulevard pier early Saturday.

“That’s what was so hurtful about this whole episode; the fact that we didn’t know that something had happened to him and they were trying to identify him,” she said Monday night. “We had zero clue, because that was something normal for him to do, to just go away.”

A fisherman spotted Graham’s body floating near the pier shortly after 5 a.m. Saturday, and deputies pulled him out, according to the Broward Sheriff ’s Office. The medical examiner will determine cause and manner of death, the Sheriff ’s Office said. Foul play is not suspected.

Kerlyn Graham met her future husband in 1996 when they were both in the U.S. Navy, stationed in San Diego. The couple has two children, a son, 12, and a daughter, 15. Kevin Graham also has a 22-year-old daughter, Kerlyn Graham said. “We called him Joe Navy, because he was always in Navy gear,” she said. “He was a perfect representation of the Navy.”

Kevin Graham was a chief petty officer, who served 22 years in active and reserve duty. He worked as a recruiter from December 2000 to December 2009, Kerlyn Graham said.

A local memorial service is planned for March 31. Graham’s remains will then be transported to California for a service with relatives, to be followed by a military burial, Kerlyn Graham said.

“He was a wonderful person, I wish he knew that,” she said.