Marion preferred to be known as Mary. She was a loving mother, who constantly demonstrated her love to her children and grandchildren.

Eulogy by: Roger Graves Sr.


Our mother Marion, Mary as she liked being called, was a woman of strength, resiliency, and love. She had an immense love for Bob and me, her four grand children, her fourteen great grandchildren, her daughters-in-law, and her close friends, which she had many. She was very demonstrative, and wore her heart on her sleeve, because you could always tell how Mom felt about things. She wasn’t outspoken, but kind and caring. She always worried about everybody, and how they were feeling. If it was just suggested that one of her loved ones was feeling ill, she would make herself sick. It had reached the point if your were feeling bad, you couldn’t share that with her.
Mom was born and raised on a farm, and when she was just eighteen years old, she was swept off her feet by a worldly man, Jim Graves our father, who was 26 at the time. They were married in 1935, and moved to the Detroit area, where they had their two children, Robert and me (Roger).
Mom’s life was good, she had a wonderful husband who took care of her every need. But then, 14 years ago, he passed away, and she was left alone. Mom had never been involved in the business of dealing with financial matters, nor had she learned what was needed to maintain her car, or what to do if she had a furnace problem. She had to learn all these things, like how to write checks, make bank deposits, pay bills, and deal with mechanical failures. But with the help of family and friends, she learned to manage on her own, and eventually did all the necessary things and become self-reliant. She was tough, and endured the emotions and the pain of being alone and having to cope with what life had dealt her.

Mom will be missed by all of us. She touched many over the years, her children, their children, and their children. She will be missed by her old gang from the east side, her friends from the Winds, and of course all of her family, her sisters Belva, Geraldine, Gertrude, Aileen, Connie, her brother LeRoy. And perhaps most of all, Diane and me, Bob and Ellen, and grandchildren Roger Jr., Randy, Jim, and Dawn who loved her very much.