Edna Graham, 84, Was Resident of East Chop

Edna H. Graham of East Chop, formerly of Worcester, died in Worcester on Monday, Sept. 1 after a brief illness. She was 84.

Born in Worcester, daughter of Harrison G. Taylor Sr. and Violet F. (Legg) Taylor, she was graduated from Classical High School in 1937 and Mount Holyoke College in 1941. She coached field hockey, basketball and tennis at Commerce and Doherty high schools. She was active in the Worcester Girl Scouts, the AAUW, the Worcester District Dental Society Women's Auxiliary and the League of Women Voters. She was a member of Worcester Country Club and a lifetime member of the First Baptist Church of Worcester.

Edna first experienced the Island in the early 1920s as a child while visiting her maternal grandmother, Edna Harrington Legg Currier, who rented cottages in East Chop and was a charter member of the East Chop Beach Club.

In the summer of 1958, Edna and her husband, Everett N. Graham, rented cottages on Ocean Park and loved the Island so much that they bought a cottage on the park that fall. After about eight years they moved to their home on East Chop.

Edna, with her family, enjoyed the East Chop Beach Club, the East Chop Yacht Club and the East Chop Tennis Club. She was a former member of the Edgartown Yacht Club and Edgartown Golf Club as well.

She spent many happy hours volunteering at the Community Solar Greenhouse and organizing the yearly concert given by David Crohan and Carolyn Worthington.

Affiliating herself with the Federated Church in Edgartown, Edna enjoyed many of its activities including membership in the Unity Club. Also, she often attended and appreciated the Trinity United Methodist Church in Oak Bluffs.

Edna devoted much of her time to the League of Women Voters and to the Friends of Oak Bluffs Council on Aging. Her bridge group, her Tuesday group and the Mount Holyoke College Club were sources of great fun and companionship with cherished friends.

The family loved spending time with their mother, grandmother and great grandmother on this uniquely beautiful Island. One of the greatest joys for Edna was her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She had a special relationship with each of them. The Graham household was filled with their activity every summer. For Edna, Martha's Vineyard Island was the "center of the universe." Her family and the Island gave her great joy.

Edna is survived by her children, Natalie Graham of Worcester, Richard T. Graham of Dennis and Jean G. Hight of Marshfield; her brother, Harrison G. Taylor Jr. of Worcester, and her sister, Elizabeth Richards of Merrimack, N.H. Her grandchildren include Charles Graham of Georgia; Laura Secker, Jacqueline Abodeely and Kirsten Randolph of New York; Andrew Graham of California; Meredith, Betsy and Carolyn Hight of Marshfield, and three great-grandchildren, Rachel, John and Sarah Secker of New York. Edna's husband, Dr. Everett N. Graham, died in 1987; her son, Dr. Alfred H. Graham, died in 1992.

The family is planning a memorial service on the Vineyard in the spring. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Community Solar Greenhouse, P.O. Box 2048, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557, or to The Edna H. Graham Fund at Mount Holyoke College, 50 College street, South Hadley, MA 01075.