Obituary for Mary Kathryn Graham

Age 68, passed away peacefully at her home on February 7th 2023, surrounded by the love of family & friends after a very long and courageous battle with breast cancer.

A mass of Christian Burial will be held on Feb 20, 2023, at 11am at St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church, Maple Grove, MN with Fr. Michael Sullivan officiating. Visitation one hour prior to the service at the Church with a private burial at Assumption Calvary Cemetery, St. Cloud MN at a later date. The Service will be Live Streamed at the following link: www.sjtw.net and also archived on their YouTube site.

Mary was born on Nov. 16th, 1954, in St. Cloud, MN to James (Sr.) & Jeanne (Sauer) Graham. From the very beginning, Mary was a caregiver, an ever present and loyal sister, daughter and friend. Mary was the definition of strength & grace; she touched us all and left a piece of her spirit with every single person that came into her life, especially with her AA Family in these last 1000+ days of sobriety. Mary will be truly & deeply missed.

Mary graduated from Cathedral High School in 1973 and went on to receive her Associates Degree in Nursing at Evergreen Technical College in San Jose, CA in 1979. Mary returned home to MN and in 1981, began her nursing career at Abbott Northwestern Hospital. While working, Mary continued her studies and earned her bachelor’s degree in Nursing at Metro State in 1996. Mary retired from Allina Health System in 2015 after a very rewarding 34-year career.

Mary’s life was very complete with her commitments to her church & her faith, youth ministries, her volunteering, her family, and her friends. She enjoyed music & art, traveling & reading, loved her Farkle, board games & cards and over the years became a fierce lover of her dogs.

With that being said, her happiest moments came in 2005 when her daughter Estelle came into her life. From the moment they met, she knew they were a perfect match and absolutely nothing made her more complete than becoming a mother.

Mary is survived by her daughter Estelle and grandson Luca, brothers & sisters, Michael, James (Marlene) Lizbeth & Pamela. 6 nieces & nephews, and many great nieces and nephews as well as her beloved furry friend Mia Marie.

Mary was preceded in death by her parents, James Graham Sr. (1994) Jeanne (Sauer) Graham (1994) and her brother Gerard (Gerry) in 2016 as well as her furry friends, Louie & Yoda. Now all reunited, watching over us all and playing 500 & Farkle.

A special Thank You to all of the care staff and Heartland Hospice for their respectful and caring attention to our Mary….we will all feel her physical absence, but knowing that she is no longer in pain and is watching over us, brings us peace.

Memorials are preferred to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or Animal Humane Society