Margaret Kathleen Graham

Margaret Kathleen "Kay" Graham

Margaret Kathleen Graham, 83, of Georgetown, Texas, passed away on Thursday, December 4, 2025-just twelve days after her beloved husband, Howard Joe. She was a connector, an encourager, and a woman whose warmth drew people in and made them feel like family.

She was born Kay Dillard on August 20, 1942, in Waco, Texas, to Clay Edward and Alyce Maye Dillard, and was named for her paternal aunt Margaret-though when she later requested her birth certificate for a passport, she discovered the State of Texas had recorded her name simply as "Kathleen Dillard," as if Margaret had never existed at all. She went by Kay her whole life.

Kay grew up in Odessa, where she played French horn in the school band and met the love of her life, Howard Joe Graham. They married in July 1961 and spent thirty years in the San Francisco Bay Area before returning to Texas in retirement to be closer to family.

Kay was a woman who fostered things-businesses, community, relationships. In the 1960s, she opened a coffee house, and later owned and operated a petroleum inspection business. She worked for Pinole Point Steel in various administrative roles. But her real work was people. She was known by many as a second mom, a mentor, and a trusted friend. She was always first in line to help others, with a particular heart for the elderly. For over ten years, she served as Teaching Director for Community Bible Study in Georgetown, pouring herself into that mission.

She was a voracious reader with a love of period fiction-she liked learning something while being entertained. She was an excellent cook. And she was a lifelong gamer with a sharp card sense, playing hours of Liverpool Rummy with family, marathon sessions of Risk with her best friend Nelda, Boggle with her school-age daughters, and Zelda on every gaming system with anyone willing to join her.

Kay loved to laugh. She had a silly streak she shared with her sister Carolyn and all her family on her mother's side. She also had a sassy streak that stayed with her to the end-when a hospital chaplain asked what she enjoyed and was told she liked football, Kay, even on her final day, responded to the question "Do you like the Cowboys?" with a "yes" that made perfectly clear: of course I do.

Everyone knew Kay, and everyone who knew her loved her.

She leaves behind her daughters, Daphne Van Stone and husband Jim, and Deanna Graham; grandson A.J. Cendejas; step-grandchildren Andrew, Chris, Emily, Zach, and their families; and Mojo, her husband's dog, whom she faithfully walked twice a day. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband of sixty-four years, Howard Joe Graham; and her sisters, Neoma Jean in childhood and Carolyn Frances Millner in 2024.

A joint service celebrating the lives of Kay and Howard Joe Graham will be held at a later date. Howard Joe will receive veteran's honors, and they will be laid to rest together.