Avelina Graham

Mrs. Avelina Cora Graham, 92, died Friday, March 28, 2008 at 12:10 a.m. in her home at 1240 W. 70th Avenue in Conway Springs, Kansas. Funeral services will be held at the Calvary Baptist Church in Perry, Oklahoma on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 2:00 p.m. Rev. Roger Dunn will officiate. She will be laid to rest at Grace Hill Cemetery in Perry next to her husband, W.W. Services are under the direction of Brown-Dugger Funeral Home in Perry. Memorials may be made to the American Heart Association in care of Brown-Dugger Funeral Home, 1010 N. 7th Street, Perry, Oklahoma 73077. Avelina was born August 24, 1915 in Pawnee, Oklahoma to Fred D. Ward and Katie B. Barnes. She attended the Pawnee Indian Boarding School. She married Frank Turner in 1932. After his death, she married William W. Graham on October 19, 1947 in Perry, Oklahoma. Avelina was a resident of the Perry, Oklahoma area all her life. Avelina Graham lived a very long and full life, from a dirt floor cabin as a little girl to a young wife with a home filled of beautiful children and grandchildren. She kept a firm hold on her faith even after the loss of her left arm as a young girl. None of the difficulties she had to overcome or adjust to stopped her from caring for her family. Avelina kept house, took care of the kids, and could peel potatoes faster than most two handed people. She was the foundation of a large family of 10 children, 5 stepchildren, 75 plus grandchildren, 150 plus great-grandchildren and 50 plus great-great-grandchildren. She was known as Granny by all who knew and loved her. Avelina spent her whole life caring for and loving her entirely large family. Her endearing sacrifices, great and small, will never be forgotten and will be passed on for many generations. She was cherished and adored by all her family and has a special place of honor in each heart. She will be greatly missed by all her loved ones. Avelina Graham was preceded in death by her parents, Fred D. Ward and Katie B. Barnes, her husbands, Frank Turner and William W. Graham, her stepsons, Tom Oliver Graham, William Jessie June Graham and Phillip Graham, six brothers, four sisters, three grandsons, two great-grandsons and one great-granddaughter. Avelina is survived by one sister, Mary Jane Wright of Spavinaw, Oklahoma; one brother, Alden Ward of Blackwell, Oklahoma; nine daughters, Kissie Williams and her husband, Freddie, of Auburn, Washington, Gloria Jean Irwin of Washington, Joyce Wayman, Janice Haefner and her husband, Harry, Carletta Slavens, Wanda Blocker and her husband, Douglas, all of Perry, Oklahoma; Regina Sharpton and her husband, Doug, of Stillwater, Oklahoma; Carrie Davis and her husband, Charles, of Sterling Heights, Michigan; three sons, Daniel Cotton Turner and his wife, Mary Ann, Clarence Butch Graham and his wife, Mildred, all of Perry, Oklahoma; Wesley H. Graham and his wife, Sherry, of her home in Conway Springs, Kansas; one stepdaughter, Mary Johnson and her husband, Sonny, of Wichita, Kansas; two stepsons, Robert Bob Graham and his wife, Judy, of Red Rock, Oklahoma and George Graham and his wife, Midge, of Perry, Oklahoma; 75 plus grandchildren, 150 plus great-grandchildren, 50 plus great-great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews. Condolences may be sent to our online guest book at www.brown-duggerfuneralhome.com.