Harriet Valerie Maynard Graves' Obituary
Harriet Valerie Maynard Graves, age 87 of Lewes, DE, passed away peacefully, and surrounded by family, on Tuesday, April 6, 2021 at Beebe Healthcare, in Lewes, DE. She was born on June 28, 1933 in Richmond, CA, daughter of the late Robert Horace and Valerie (Porai Koshitz) Maynard.
Harriet grew up in Fredericksburg, VA and rose to valedictorian of her high school class of 1950. She received a BA in Sociology from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, in 1954. Harriet was a social worker and ultimately superintendent of Fredericksburg’s Department of Public Welfare. She retired in 1978 to a family homestead in Narragansett, RI, where she was a passionate gardener, dog-lover, and worked in the Special Education Department at the Narragansett Elementary School. Harriet retired a final time, and settled in Lewes, DE in 2000. She was one of the early volunteers on the Lightship Overfalls and was known to many because of her daily walks around town with her dachshunds, Wilson, and then, Katie. She loved to read and cross-stitch, and she loved her friends and neighbors in Lewes. Harriet was a beloved mother, grandmother, and a strong and independent woman. Her huge smile, deep laugh, sense of loyalty and honest opinion will be always missed.
Harriet is survived by her 3 children: Cynthia Graves Murphy (Kevin) of Huntington Station, NY, Steven Graves (Deborah) of Midlothian, VA, and Michael Graves (Kimberly) of Woodbridge, VA; and her 6 grandchildren: Justin Murphy (Paige), Samuel Murphy (Emily), Sarah Murphy, Katherine Graves Jezierski (Matthew), Thomas Graves, and Matthew Graves.
Memorial services will be private.
Those who wish are asked to contribute in Harriet’s memory to the Overfalls Foundation at www.overfalls.org or Overfalls Foundation, PO Box 413, Lewes, DE 19958.
Please sign the virtual guestbook located on the tribute page.
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