A former mayor of Telkwa has died. Carman Graf was 89 years old.

Graf was born in Nova Scotia on March 15, 1936. A few career bumps in the road led Graf west in search of something better.

He started working in a coal mine and quit his job to become a pilot before realizing he didn鈥檛 have enough education. After trying to become an RCMP officer, he found out that dream would also be dashed, but this time for his height, or lack thereof. At the time, he was half an inch too short to meet the height requirements, so he decided to follow his siblings to Quesnel in 1954.

He returned to Nova Scotia to marry his wife Joan and they returned together to B.C.  They had been married for almost 69 years before Joan died last year. 

They made their way up to Smithers in the 1960s with their four children.

In 1972, Graf was elected to Smithers council as an alderman (now known as a councillor). He was on and off council for the duration of the 1970s, when terms were two years. He was then elected mayor in 1981 and held the position until 1985. After losing the mayoral election in 1985, he went back to service as an alderman throughout the 80s and 90s.

Smithers council during his tenure made some big moves including the revitalization of Main Street which saw the introduction of the Alpine Theme. The not-so-pretty stuff, but equally important, included constructing a major sewer line, adding three sewer lagoons and installing a new water tower.

Also during his time on council, the town purchased the fall fair grounds which they traded for land where the curling rink, BV Pool and Recreation Centre and skateboard park now reside.

All the while, he was also building a small empire at the corner of Highway 16 and Bulkley Drive.

He and Joan bought the gas station there from her father in 1962. In the 1970s, Graf became a franchise owner of Kal Tire and built the building that currently stands there. He also started up Wayside Industrial Supplies and then Harley Davidson of Smithers with his son Stephen.

After a health scare in 2005 prompted the couple to look for a smaller, more easy-to-manage house, they moved to Telkwa where Graf ran for mayor in 2009 and was elected for two terms ending in 2014.

Last year, Graf was awarded the David McKenzie Community Booster award at the Smithers and District Chamber of Commerce Business Awards, an accolade given to a community champion.

Last year, he also sat down with the Interior 亚洲天堂 and reflected on his life in the valley.

One of the projects Graf said he is most proud of accomplishing in his political career was helping to get better water for Telkwa. The village replaced the main water line down Highway 16. The original water tower was also upgraded and the groundwork was laid for the new reservoir.

Also during his time at the helm, the Village bought an old building on Hankin Avenue and transformed it into the village office with commercial space that is now leased out and added a biomass district heating system.

On the other end of the spectrum, a low point in his political career, Graf said, was getting fired from a volunteer position. The only time he was ever let go from any position was when the provincial health minister fired the entire hospital board, on which Graf was sitting in the fall of 1995.

The flags in Telkwa will be lowered to half-mast in remembrance of him.

Current Mayor Leroy Dekens said he will be missed.

"He did a lot for the village and for the community," he said. "He was always good with everyone."