Thelma I. Graham

Thelma I. Graham, a Las Cruces resident since 1980, was born in Snyder, Oklahoma, on April 26, 1918, to Jimmie Irene and Eli K. Stowe, and died on December 22, 2009, at Casa del Sol Senior Care Center in Las Cruces. She grew up in Manitou, Oklahoma, graduated from Manitou High School in 1934 and attended Draughon's Business College in Oklahoma City. Thelma retired from the Social Security Administration in 1978 at Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she was employed for 23 years. She was a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Albuquerque and has been a member of Northminster (now Sonoma Springs) Presbyterian Church in Las Cruces since March 1981. In her youth Thelma had been a talented artist and after her retirement she was able to resume her hobby, focusing on scenic oil paintings of the southwest. She also loved her rose garden and all kinds of needlework, especially crochet and knitting. Thelma was preceded in death in 1991 by her husband of 51 years, Authur (Sam) Graham, as well as her stepbrother, Richard Day. Her survivors include a daughter and son-in-law, JoLynne and Edwin Schaefer of Poway, CA, and six grandchildren: Leigh Schaefer of Taos, NM; Matthew, Meredith, Linda and Laura Schaefer, all California residents, and Steven Schaefer of Nampa, ID, and two great-grandchildren. Other survivors include nephew Jim Graham and wife Eva of Las Cruces, niece, Patricia Saunders and husband Mike of Colorado, niece, Doranda Conner and husband Larry of Combine, Texas, and several cousins in Oklahoma. Visitation will be on December 29th from 5:00