Cynthia Diana Graham, 78, of Woodstock, Georgia and Lake City, Florida, passed away
on April 21, 2014 after a long, enjoyable, and interesting life.
A Memorial Service will be held in her honor at 2:00 pm on Saturday, April 26 at the Epiphany Catholic Church located at 254 SW Malone Street in Lake City, Florida. Mass will be celebrated by Fr. Michael Pendergraft.
Members of all faiths are cordially welcome to join in this celebration of her life.
She will be interred at Gateway-Forest Lawn Cemetery in Lake City, Florida along with her dear husband, George Graham.
Over the years, known as Cynthia, Diana, Diane, or most recently "Miss Cynthia," she was born in Detroit, Michigan on August 1, 1935. In her early years, her parents, Edmund and Bertha, raised her in Detroit and then in her later childhood in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It was there she met her husband, George, and their lifelong romance began. They started their life together with three wonderful children George brought into their marriage, Gina, Glenn, and Dan. Over the next decade, they added four more to their family with Michael, Mary Jo, Matthew, and Sean. Diane considered caring for her husband and all seven of her children as her primary purpose in life.
Diane loved all celebrations and especially holidays! She enjoyed creating beautiful craft projects and bright decorations. With a collection of international angel ornaments, her Christmas "angel" tree at home was a beauty to behold. Her creative skills included designing cakes into imaginative works of art.
She also delighted in organizing everything from birthday parties to her pencil drawer! As many of you may know, every person and item in her life seemed to find their way onto her various lists. Every family member's birthday, anniversary, work schedule, and school event were studiously recorded on her calendars. With every note she ever jotted, she was saying "I care about you – you are important to me."
At the age of 77 and after 28 years in the same home, Diane moved from Woodstock, Georgia to Lake City in April of 2013. She thoroughly enjoyed her many years working at the Hallmark store in Georgia and took the move to Lake City as a challenge to get out more and enjoy the company of as many people as she could with her remaining time. She delighted in the friendships she made at the Senior Center ("Bingo!") and at Haven Hospice ("Thank you!"). Conversations with her were usually very lively, thought provoking, and cheerful.
Carrying on her indomitable spirit and caring heart, she leaves behind her sister, Patricia VanDyk of Arkansas, her brother, Edmund (Skip) Ostrowski of Michigan, her two daughters, Gina Jillson of Michigan and Mary Jo Nichols of Georgia and her four sons, Dan Graham of Texas, Michael Graham of Virginia, Matthew Graham of Florida, and Sean Graham of Texas.
Her husband, George, passed away in 1979 at the age of 53, and her eldest son, Glenn, passed away in 2007 at the age of 57. She was very proud of her 7 children and their accomplishments and lovingly cherished her 23 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, her family asks that donations be made in her name to the Haven Hospice of Lake City through this link http://www.havenhospice.org/donate-to-haven-hospice.aspx or by mail to: 6037 W US Highway 90, Lake City, FL 32055.
By all the names we knew her, and most importantly to her -- Mom and Grandma -- she will be deeply missed. We are sure she is joyfully adding angels' birthdays to Heaven's calendar, holding George's hand, and smiling down on all of us. We love you, we miss you, and as she would often say to us, "We'll see you when we see you!"