Mary Abigail Sawyer DeGraaf, 98, of Ammon, Idaho, died Saturday, Feb. 19, 2011 at her home.
She was born Dec. 8, 1912, in Steuben, Maine, the only daughter of Charles Addison Sawyer and Josie Dunbar Sawyer. She grew up with her two brothers in this small rural community on the coast of Maine and graduated from Steuben High School. She also attended Machais Normal School and obtained her teaching certificate. She taught in one-room schools for several years following her graduation. She loved children and later taught second grade wherever they lived until her retirement in 1970.
She met Bastiaan DeGraaf on a blind date while he was vacationing in Steuben. They were married Aug. 17, 1937, in Steuben, Maine, at the Sawyer family home. They made their home in Yonkers, N.Y., where he worked for Otis Elevator Company.
During the depression when things got tough, they moved back to Steuben and ran a poultry farm. They later lived in Bar Harbor, Maine, Falls Church, Va., Daphne and Fairhope. They were married 69 years before his death at age 100 on Jan. 12, 2007.
She moved to Liberty Square Retirement Community in Ammon in 2008 to be near her family in Idaho. She loved living at Liberty Square and enjoyed socializing with the residents there. Mary attended Falls Southern Baptist Church in Idaho Falls.
She enjoyed traveling with her husband thoughout the United States and loved gardening, reading, and animals. She always had a cat as a companion.
She was preceded in death by her parents; two brothers, Herman Sawyer and Charles Lloyd Sawyer; and a granddaughter, Amy Hossner.
Survivors include a daughter, Elizabeth (Fred) Hossner of Ashton; two granddaughters, Jennifer (Andy) Rowland and Jill (Rocky) Elliott; and three great-grandchildren, Benjamin Rowland, Katherine Rowland, and Koa Elliott.
A Celebration of Life will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 26 at Liberty Square Retirement Community in Ammon. Visitation will follow the services at Liberty Square. Burial will be held at Pineview Cemetery in Ashton at a later date.
Arrangements are by Wood Funeral Home, Idaho Falls, Idaho. Online condolences may be made at www.woodfuneralhome.com.
