Joan McGraw
May 12, 1932-Feb. 4, 2022
Rancho Mirage, NE
Joan Davey McGraw has perpetually been described as a “spitfire” and “sharp as a tack”- even until the very end. She would be the first person to point out if a grandchild was wearing ripped jeans (“did you pay extra for those holes?”) and never had a hair out of place – but may hand you a comb if you did. Joan passed away on Friday, February 4th 2022 just shy of 90 years old in her Rancho Mirage home surrounded by family and the love of her life for the last 61 years, John V. (Jack) McGraw Jr.
A Columbus, Montana native, Joan had the work ethic of a middle-American man with the style of a 1960s Hollywood Golden Girl. Glamour and grit were in her DNA as Joan spent her formative years working full-time for The McGraw Group and its affiliated companies as the secretary treasurer of the corporation making a name for herself as a firm, yet fashionable leader sporting a no-nonsense attitude paired with her beloved St. John Knit workwear.
To know Joan was to love her, and to also subject yourself to her dry humor likely at your own expense. She was smart and sophisticated but with a delicate side that could be best observed around her grandchildren and, later, her great grandchildren. A mother, wife, sister, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend, Joan wore a lot of hats throughout her life, though not literally because she paid a lot for her perfectly coiffed signature blonde bouffant. Joan was a devout Catholic who dedicated much of her life to the church, but she also loved a stiff Manhattan and a slice of good angel food cake – and she was the judge of that.
Joan is survived by her partner in crime, Jack McGraw; her three children John, Ann, and Mike; her countless grandkids (seriously, we lost count) Maura, Katie, Sheila, Jane, Kathleen, Jackie, Mary, Claire, and Mikey; bonus grandchildren Jackson, Elena, and Mele; and great-grandchildren Andrew, Elle, and Maeve. May the road rise to meet you May the wind be always at your back May the sun shine warm upon your face, The rains fall soft upon your fields And until we meet again May God hold you in the hollow of His hand.
Tags: business