Obituary of Edythe Mabel Graham

EDYTHE MABEL GRAHAM (nee Crosson) Edythe, late of Regina, SK passed away peacefully Saturday, March 29, 2014 at the Wascana Rehabilitation Centre’s Veteran’s Ward at the age of 97. She was predeceased by her parents, William and Mary Crosson; her husband Ralph; brothers, Wilfred, Roy and Donald; and sisters Viola, Inez and Anne. Edythe is survived by her sons, Bill, of Victoria, BC and Kevin of Regina, their families, and numerous nieces and nephews. She was born on her parents homestead near Limerick, SK in 1916, the youngest of seven children. Edythe attended Oronoko School, usually arriving on horseback, and completed high school in Limerick. She attended Success Business College in Regina, and then returned to Limerick, where Edythe worked at Gurvich’s General Store. Returning to Regina, she worked as a clerk in the provincial Department of Agriculture, where Edythe met her husband-to-be Ralph Oliver Graham. When Ralph joined the Canadian Army and was deployed overseas in WWII. They married when he returned, and had two sons, William Ralph (b. 1948) and Kevin Ernest (b. 1956). As Kevin grew, Edythe began to work part time in a local pharmacy in the Cathedral area, then at Manpower Services Agency, at Frances Real Estate Agency and the Regina Local Housing Authority, before taking up full-time employment in the Office of the Rentalsman. Edythe and Ralph were both active members and supporters of the Regina Branch #1 of the Royal Canadian Legion, where Edythe was a member and sometime executive in the Legion Ladies Auxiliary. She also volunteered for many years at the Wascana Rehabilitation Centre Veterans Ward, even after she had reached an age beyond that of many of the “old boys” whom she served. She was awarded the Governor General’s Caring Canadian Award in 1997. Edythe was also awarded the Saskatchewan Centennial Medal in 2005. She has two grandchildren, Tara and Erica, Kevin’s daughters, on whom she doted – especially since she was 70 before becoming a grandmother for the first time. Edythe has two daughters-in-law, Helen McDonald, married to Bill, and Denise Eberle, married to Kevin. She has two grandsons-in-law, Jacob Froh (Tara) and Mason Schaffer (Erica), and three great-grandsons: Gavin, Ben and Noah. When she reached her early 90s, Edythe moved to Wintergreene Estates and then, after a fall in late February 2014, to the Wascana Rehabilitation Hospital, where she passed away. A Memorial Service for family and friends will be held at Speers Funeral Chapel, 2136 College Avenue, Regina, SK on April 3, 2014 at 10:00 a.m. Flowers are gratefully declined. Friends so wishing may make donations in memory of Edythe to the Canadian Cancer Society, 1910 McIntyre Street, Regina, SK, S4P 2R3.