Dona Jeanne McGraw
Dona Jeanne McGraw, passed away on September 10th 2008 at Homeplace Special Care in Burlington, Washington.Daughter of Mildred and Robert Hayes, she was born, with coal black curly hair, on July 18th, 1928 in Ashland, Kentucky and at a young age, moved to Middletown, Ohio. In a family of five children, she was the child who could do no wrong. Always active, she was game for anything–tennis, swimming, sledding, ice skating or making angels in the snow. While attending Middletown High School, she participated in sports and cheerleading. After graduating from high school, Dona attended Christ School of Nursing in Cincinnati, Ohio where she earned her Registered Nurse degree. While in school she met her future husband, Tom Elmer McGraw. They dated throughout high school and during Tom’s tour in Navy during WWII. They were united in marriage in Middletown, Ohio on August 5th, 1950 where they raised their first three children, Michelle, Michael and Matt. After a business transfer to Houston, Texas their fourth child, Meridith, was born in 1964. A devoted wife, mother and grandmother, Dona’s life was full and filled with love for her family and her home was overflowing with family, friends and laughter. Her greatest love was taking care of her family, and she was always there for them. Her Sunday night dinners, holiday celebrations and chocolate chip cookies were legendary. Dona never missed a sporting event or activity that her kids or grandkids were involved in. She was known as the “tennis mom” at her daughter’s tennis matches, always showing up with an enormous bowl of popcorn for the team to enjoy between matches. As grandmother, Dona could be found building forts in the house with her grandchildren and teaching them to ride a two- wheeled bike for the first time. Her grandchildren were the “apples of her eye”. Dona was always active, and had an adventurous spirit. She took her daily 3 mile walk around Phantom Lake, making many friends along her route. She played tennis, bowled, golfed and took line dancing lessons. Every Fall she took a trip along the North Cascades Highway to enjoy the beauty of the autumn leaves. Dona’s positive attitude and warm and friendly personality brought her numerous friends. Much of her time was spent at social outings such as tennis dates, bowling leagues, and lunch dates with friends. Dona lived life to the fullest and always saw the positive side of life. She will be dearly missed by all who know her. Dona is survived by her daughters: Michelle (Jim) Jackson, Meridith (Kevin) Loomis, sons Michael (Kathleen) McGraw, Matt (Darlene) McGraw, grandchildren: April (Warren) Thomas, Brian Black, Katelyn Loomis, great-grandchild Samuel Thomas, sister: Patty Hayes brother: Thomas (Diane) Hayes and dear friend Pat (Jim) Beatty. Dona was preceded in death by her husband Tom McGraw, parents: Robert and Mildred Hayes, sister: Barbara Hayes, brother: Bob Hayes and sister-in-law Evelyn Hayes.Our family would like to extend our gratefulness to all of the staff at Homeplace Special Care and to Skagit Hospice for providing such loving care to mom during her time at Homeplace.Private family inurnment will be held at Sunset Hills Memorial Cemetery in Bellevue, Washington, with a family gathering of remembrance to follow at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to Skagit Hospice 214 S. 12th St. Mount Vernon, WA. 98273 or the Alzheimer’s Association, 225 N. Michigan Ave., Fl. 17 Chicago, Ill. 60601-7633.
