Ileen Esther Graham

Ileen Esther Graham, 94, died Monday, February 1, in Traverse City at the Pavillions where she had resided since 2010. Born February 22, 1921 in Burke, South Dakota, she was the daughter of Samuel and Hattie (Trudell) Emery. She married Hugh E. Graham (Lucky) on September 6, 1941, who preceded her in death, March 24, 2010.
Ileen was an enrolled member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe of South Dakota. In 1934 she moved from the Rosebud Reservation with her parents and 8 siblings to Grawn, where they lived on a farm. In 1936 she moved to Traverse City where she resided until her death. She graduated from Traverse City High School in 1940.
She was a member of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, the Child Study Club, and enjoyed gourmet cooking, traveling, entertaining, and spending time with her close-knit family. Ileen frequently hosted large family gatherings at her home.
Surviving are five daughters, Bonnie (Ron) Foote of Wyoming, Michigan; Jeanne Sweet of Traverse City; Shirley (Ken) Bell of Traverse City; Barbara (Francis) Bettelyoun of Spencer, South Dakota, Vickie (David) Dykstra of Michigan City, Indiana; one son, David (Laura) Graham of Traverse City; sister, Reta (Dick) Conkright of Gaylord; 22 grandchildren, and 35 great-grandchildren.
Services will be held at 11am on Friday, February 5th at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Traverse City with visitation at10AM, and burial at the Grand Traverse Memorial Gardens to follow. Kindly share thoughts and memories with Ileen's family at www.reynolds-jonkhoff.com . The family is being served by the Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home.