Obituary: Marie Josephine Graham, 99, of Guilford

Obituary courtesy of Guilford Funeral Home:

Marie Josephine Graham, widow of Archie Graham, a longtime resident of 37 Fair Street in Guilford, died peacefully on December 10th, 2023.

Marie, Mummy and Grandma, was an extraordinary woman. A mother, a sister, a wife, a daughter, an aunt, a grandmother, and, of course, a force of nature. Everyone who came into contact with her could not help but be enraptured by her glamour, her enthusiasm and her love for life. From humble beginnings in the shipyards of Clydebank in Glasgow she forged a career that took her to London and around the world. A teacher of children, a lover of travel, an incorrigible enthusiast for the good things in life. Marie was the matriarch of the Graham family – and she reveled in it. She inspired great loyalty, she commanded enormous respect and her greatest asset was her truth. No nonsense, no quarter given and an immense love that she passed to everyone.

Her joy of reading books was unequalled. She was never without the latest biography. And her progressive views made her one of the pre-eminent feminists of her time. She was a working mother before mothers worked. She was a revolutionary before it was trendy. Her children Mairi and Michael and grandchildren Emma, Michael, Oliver and Christopher were all shaped by her love and guidance.

We will miss her terribly. But she goes now to a better place.

A celebration of her life will be held in Guilford, on what would have been her 100th birthday in March 2024