Memorial
Lillian “Toni” McGraw passed away on July 5, 2017, at the age of 94. A celebration of Lillian’s life will be held at Cedar Memorial Chapel of Memories August 2nd, 2017 at 11:00 am with a visitation one hour prior to service.
She is survived by her husband of sixty-eight years, Ronald McGraw; four sons, Kevin (Pam) McGraw of Eugene, OR, Brian (Terri) McGraw of Muscoda, WI, Gary (Laura) McGraw of Cedar Rapids, Donald (Marion) McGraw of Alexandria, VA; eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Lillian Louise Dillon was born in Washington, Indiana, on August 24, 1922. As a pre-teen she adopted the nickname Toni and that was how most of her friends knew her. Lillian was a hard-working, determined individual who overcame many obstacles early in her life. She grew up in poverty during the Depression and her family was forced to move many times. She worked as a domestic after school while in junior high school to help the family make ends meet. She left home while in high school so that she could stay in school rather than move again, working as a nanny in return for room and board. She graduated from Washington Indiana High School in 1940. Shortly after graduating from high school, she came down with tuberculosis, which led to many months of hospitalization and convalescence in a TB sanatorium. As her health improved, Lillian worked as a nurse’s aide, which led her to pursue nursing as a career. After training as an RN, she received a BSN from Evansville College (now University) in 1948.
While at Evansville College she met Ronald McGraw and they married in 1949. They moved to Cedar Rapids in 1951 and Lillian worked at St. Luke’s hospital as a nursing instructor. While she stopped employment as a nurse when she had children, Lillian was always quite proud of her profession and volunteered in a number of nursing capacities over the years.
Lillian was a wonderful mother and grandmother. One of the things she was most proud of was that all four of her sons attended the same schools – never having to move like she had done. Lillian was very involved in a variety of community, political, and volunteer activities. She was a long-term member of the Peoples Church Unitarian-Universalist and the Van Vechten Guild there. She lobbied for reproductive rights at the state legislature in the early 70s, and was active in the Iowa Medical Aid Fund (now Iowa Abortion Access Fund) to provide low-income women equal access to reproductive services. Lillian loved the outdoors, hiking and looking at wildflowers. She had a special fondness for Pinicon Ridge and Matsell Bridge Linn County Parks.
Gifts in memory of Lillian can be made to Peoples Church, the Indian Creek Nature Center, Iowa Abortion Access Fund, or to a charity of one’s choice.