Margaret Ann Graham

Margaret Ann Graham, known as “Miss Marge” by hundreds of children from her television shows from the 70's and 80’s, passed away on April 17, 2019, in Palm Bay, Florida. Born during the depression in Marquette, Michigan, on November 13, 1933, she was raised along with her 3 sisters by her parents, Gerard and Sylvia, in a loving home surrounded by a talented family.

Margaret, or Marge as she liked to be called, possessed an enormous amount of creative energy. She wrote hundreds of poems which she enjoyed handing out to all her family and friends. She had a passion for clothing design and a love for the teaching of children through books and the media of radio and television. She was a published author. Some of her books can still be found on Amazon. She had copyrights on 27 fashion designs along with two U.S. patents. She hosted programs and wrote commercials for radio stations in both Indiana and Northern Michigan.

Her greatest achievements, however, may have been her television shows she produced and hosted at WRAL-TV in Raleigh, North Carolina, and then later at WMOD-TV in Melbourne, Florida. She appeared regularly on them entertaining and educating hundreds of children throughout the years. She was often featured in local newspaper articles, and her talent and accomplishments earned her the status of a local celebrity. For many years, she was in high demand for special events, local parades and children’s parties. She even travelled back to Marquette to fulfill her dream of finishing her education and at the age of 61, graduated from Northern Michigan University with a Bachelor of Science degree.

Even though dementia started taking its toll later in life, she would still continue to write and recite her poems, sharing her ever-lasting positiveness with each and every person that would lend her their ear. She made many friends over her life, but her family was always most important to her. She enjoyed every moment she could spend with her loving son Gerry, his wife Donna and her grandchildren, Kyle and Katie.

She was also fortunate just a few years ago to finally meet her daughter, Lisa, whom she unfortunately had to give up for adoption many years ago. It was then she also learned she had another wonderful granddaughter, Meret.

Overall, she had a wonderful life and always stayed positive no matter what obstacles she had to face. She would make sure to remind everyone how lucky they were through her favorite poem, “Please Thank God”, reciting it word-for-word by memory even up until a few weeks before her death. Mom or “Nana” as she was known to her grandkids, will be greatly missed. But remembering our wonderful memories together and knowing one day we will all meet again in our Lord’s presence will keep us smiling each and every day.

Left to cherish her memory is her loving son Gerry Graham (Donna) of Palm Bay, FL., daughter Lisa Osmon of Walkerton, IN., twin sister Mary Hazeres (George) of Marquette, MI., sisters Carol Boyle of Satellite Beach FL., and Patricia Fitzpatrick of Cedar Park, TX, grandchildren Meret Osmon, Kyle and Katelyn Graham, along with many nieces and nephews whom she loved and cared for even though they may have lived far away. She was predeceased in death by her parents Gerard and Sylvia Deegan of Marquette, MI.