It's the coffee in the morning with some friendly advice added as a sweetener that Tom Pitts will miss about his friend Keith Gragson.
"He was a fine man, and a loyal friend," Pitts said.
Mr. Gragson, 57, died of a heart attack Saturday, Nov. 5, 2005, at the Greenwood Leflore Hospital.
Services will be at 3 p.m. Tuesday at First Presbyterian Church, and visitation will be from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m., also at the church.
Pitts' relationship with Mr. Gragson began 24 years ago, when Mr. Gragson was coaching T-ball. Pitts, a cotton merchant, said their first conversation inspired a lifetime of friendship. Pitts said he would stop by almost daily in Mr. Gragson's office to chat and grab a cup of coffee. He remembers his friend best for his confidentiality.
"He would never betray your trust," Pitts said.
Mr. Gragson practiced estate and tax law out of his office on Market Street. He also served as the current president of the Leflore County Bar Association.
Greenwood attorney Billy Bowman said throughout the years, there has been one constant, and that is Mr. Gragson.
"When you see a 60-year-old man cry when he loses his best friend, you realize how much he meant to us," Bowman said.
Bowman described Mr. Gragson as a meticulous lawyer, and "one of my closest friends."
Johnny Henson, who also practices law in Greenwood, knew Mr. Gragson on both a professional and personal level.
"He was very conscientious and faithful to his clients," Henson said.
The two have known each other since their college days at Ole Miss 40 years ago. At one time they shared office space. Henson, like Mr. Gragson, practices solo, so having another attorney next door was ideal.
"We would bounce ideas off of each other like partners in a firm," Henson remembers.
Mr. Gragson is survived by his wife, Barbara Kearney Gragson of Greenwood; two sons, John Austin Gragson of Oxford and William Haden Gragson of Greenwood; one daughter, Ashley Suzanne Gragson of Greenwood; his mother, Jane H. Gragson of Cordova; two sisters, Lauren Gragson of Lafayette, La., and Suzanne Harris of Cordova; and one brother, George Gragson of Lake Charles, La.
Dr. Rusty Douglas will officiate at the services. Burial will be in the Kearney Family Cemetery at Pleasantview Plantation in Money. Wilson & Knight Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Pallbearers will be Alan Carter, Billy Bowman, Eddie Stuckey, Harris Powers, Jim Bowen, John Botto, Johnny Henson and Tom Pitts.
Honorary pallbearers will be John Lee, Brad Stewart, Jim Overstreet, Marty Steinreide, Mike Person, Pat Lewis, Larry Soloman, Tom Rice and members of the Leflore County Bar Association. Memorials may be made to First Presbyterian Church or a favorite charity.
