Persia Graalfs

Persia M. Graalfs

Persia M. Graalfs died peacefully at ninety-seven years old on Thursday, June 16, 2016 with her son, Gregory Graalfs; son's partner, Donna Von Joo-Tornell; and her best friend, Elsie Rabago present. My mother, Persia, was a third generation San Franciscan. She spent many years traveling while married to my father, U.S. Air Force Colonel Edward H. Graalfs, before returning to the Bay Area in 1968.

The youngest of three sisters, Persia was born to Thomas and Margaret Cullen and grew up on Vicksburg Street in San Francisco's Mission District. She was a beautiful Irish-American with thick black hair that turned a wonderful silver-white in old age. As a young girl she enjoyed the outdoors and I remember her talking about annual trips to Yosemite in the summer, swimming in the Merced River, and watching the Firefall in Curry Village. She went to Mission High School and graduated in 1937. Her senior yearbook tells of her interest in sports (basketball and tennis) and the intention to go to college. She attended The Cogswell Polytechnical College, San Francisco and earned her degree in December 1938. She worked as a secretary in San Francisco and in Sacramento during World War II.

San Francisco was also where my mother married Edward on February 14, 1942. Her travels with my father took her to Carmel, Japan, Alabama, Washington D.C., Norway, and Texas. While in Japan I recall my mother telling me with fondness of her trip to Hong Kong with a number of other military wives. It was also in Japan in 1954 where I was born, her only child. Persia was an attentive mother. She was also a wonderful host at parties and our time in Norway was a particularly festive for my parents with parties, events, and travels.

Persia loved her two dachshunds: Cappy was with her in Japan and Rudi joined us in Norway. My mother was an active reader with catholic taste in writers. She loved art, especially French Impressionism, and tried her hand at painting and Japanese flower design, Ikebana. She loved a drink of sherry in the later afternoons while my father was alive and was one of those people who could smoke cigarettes when interested (at a party) and, then, put them away for months. She kept a sharp mind and fantastic memory until her death.

In her immediate family she leaves behind me, her son; my partner, Donna; granddaughter, Kristin Wagner; and great-granddaughter Sydney Wagner. She will be buried July 8 at Golden Gate National Cemetery next to her husband. There will be a celebration of her life in the late summer.