Virginia Graf
August 4, 1918 — October 14, 2007
Virginia Graf
Born in Lowell, Massachusetts, on August 4, 1918, to Ralph Lewis Sheppard and Ruby Colman Sheppard (nee Hull), Virginia Colman Sheppard lived there until second grade, when her father's employment with the Bell Telephone Company relocated the family to Springfield, Massachusetts.They lived in Springfield for some six years, then moved to Melrose, the pleasant suburb of Boston which Virginia (Ginnie to her many friends) would call home for the rest of her life.
She graduated from Melrose High School in 1936, then went on to Simmons College, earning her bachelor's degree in 1940, and after graduation worked as a secretary in the office of the president of Radcliffe College in Cambridge.Her marriage to Norman Albert Graf, on June 7, 1943, was a small family affair conducted at her parents' home, with the radiant bride in white satin attended by her sister Jean, and the happy groom in his Navy dress blues seconded by his brother Harris.Norman's duties in World War II, including service on the destroyer USS Carmick at Normandy on D-Day, kept them apart until his discharge in August of 1945, but nothing ever separated their hearts.They remained devoted to each other until Norman's death in 1976.
Ginnie was a homemaker, raising four children with love, patience, a steadfast example of the principles she instilled in them, and a sense of humor sturdy enough to survive their hijinks.She also held various part-time jobs.Her daughter Laura still cherishes the memory of hours spent with Mom while she drove on her rounds as a saleswoman for the Ferry Seed Company.For many years Virginia worked at the Melrose Public Library, a most convenient employment since its gray eminence stood directly behind the family's home on Lake Avenue.She was also active in Kappa Delta Psi, a service organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for children in Melrose, and in the Women's Guild of the Melrose Highlands Congregational Church.
Virginia summered at Lake Shore Park in Gilford, New Hampshire from the early 1940's until declining health in her late 70s made it impossible for her to continue to enjoy its quiet beauty.Lake Winnipesauke was a special place for Ginnie and her family.Whether it was taking the kids for a swim at Baby Beach, playing badminton on the sandy court beside the blackberry bushes, gliding about the lake on the thunderous-engined motorboat of Norman's father, or just sitting and talking with friends and family on the cabin porch on a sweet summer evening, Ginnie loved the lake and the wonderful home from home it offered her and her family.
Although her heart was always firmly rooted in New England, in her later years Virginia enjoyed traveling, not only to such favorite haunts of snowbirds as Florida and Bermuda, but as far away as Alaska, an expedition she undertook at the age of 72.She had a marvelous time adventuring to the Arctic Circle and returned with wonderful stories.Although her last years were increasingly circumscribed by health problems, her mind remained sharp and active until the end, and she never lost her enthusiasm for her beloved Red Sox.
Virginia is survived by her sister, Jean Silva of Camden, Maine; her four children: Norman David Graf and his wife Nancy, of Lake Bluff, Illinois; Laura Jean Graf of Ipswich, Massachusetts; Roger Martin Graf and his wife Margaret Swan of Melrose, Massachusetts; Barbara Sheppard Graf of Charlotte, Vermont; six grandchildren:Tyler, Peter, Betsy, Charlie, Marcy and Shelby; and two great-grandchildren: Emma and Sheppard.
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