Rose Graham

Rose L. Graham, 96, went to be with her Lord on Friday, July 8, 2011 at Samaritan Hospital, her son and grandchildren at her side. A memorial service will be held at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, July 16, 2011 at Kayser's Chapel of Memories. Please sign the online guestbook or leave a note for the family at www.kayserschapel.com Arrangements are in care of Kayser's Chapel & Crematory, Moses Lake.

Rose was born Ilena "Rose" on August 14, 1914 in LaPine, OR, the eldest of nine children born to the late James Floyd and Eleanor Marie (Williams) Lippincott. She spent her childhood and school years in Winchester Bay, OR, marrying the late Rand Edward Graham in Longview, WA on March 24, 1936. Rand and Rose moved to the Columbia Basin in 1937 to participate in the construction of Grand Coulee Dam. The couple moved to Portland, OR-Vancouver, WA area in 1942 while Rand worked in the Kaiser Shipyard during World War II, returning to the Basin and settling in Moses Lake in 1947, where they established Graham Electric and remained for the rest of their lives.

Rose was a homemaker, mother of three and sometime bookkeeper for Grebe Electric. She was also active in the Moses Lake Garden Club and the Peninsula Improvement Club, and enjoyed gardening, mushrooming, clamming, canning, winemaking, cooking, painting, sewing, arranging flowers and travelling. Rose also attained some notoriety as a basket maker, designing numerous baskets constructed mainly of Ponderosa Pine needles.

Rose was close to her family and many friends and was known as a rich source of love, advice and humor.

She is survived by her sons, Ronald Lee Graham of Independence, KS and Richard Leroy Graham of Marshall, WA; grandchildren Randy and Roger Graham, both of Seattle, WA, Rhonda Graham of Escondido, CA, Richard Graham of Mamaroneck, NY, Robyn (Graham) Ramirez of Moses Lake and Richelle (Graham) Hecker of Colorado Springs, CO; twenty great-grandchildren and eight great-great grandchildren; brothers John and Lloyd Lippincott; sisters Rebecca Frazier and Sharon Brewer; and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her son, Ross James Graham (1941-52), husband Rand, her parents, brothers James and Thomas Lippincott and sisters Daisy Blake and Mary Dunham.