Virginia Ann McGraw

Virginia (Vicki) Ann McGraw (nee Boyle)

The family of Virginia (Vicki) Ann McGraw is saddened to announce her passing on January 25, 2021.  Vicki passed peacefully in her sleep, just a few weeks shy of Valentine’s Day when she would have celebrated her 88th birthday.

Vicki was born and raised on the southern shores of Lake Michigan, in Chicago, Illinois.  She is preceded in death by her loving husband, Michael Joseph McGraw, and beloved firstborn grandchild Christy Trunec.  Michael and Vicki met while serving in the U.S. Army during the Korean War.  Their romance began at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas, and six weeks later they would be joined together in a happy marriage that would last 56 years until Michael’s death in 2009.  Together they raised three children, Colleen, Michael, and Megan.

In 1981, they left Chicago and moved west to Bakersfield, California where Vicki earned her bachelor’s degree from California State University and began a career in public service for Employers’ Training Resource of Kern County.  Vicki will always be remembered for her vibrant spirit and her unwavering altruism.  She loved to help others achieve their dreams, and she lived her life caring for those less fortunate than herself. 

Vicki was a voracious reader. She loved books, films, and Broadway musicals, many of which she was able to see as a young woman when she lived in New York City with her Aunt Virginia.  A lover of words and knowledge, she will remain the family’s undisputed champion of Scrabble and Jeopardy.  Her impact on our family has been a blessing.

Vicki leaves behind many friends and adoring family who will forever miss her love, kindness, and generous spirit.  She is survived by her younger brothers, John Boyle & James Boyle whom she loved devotedly to her last days.  Her wish was to have some of her ashes cast upon her beloved Lake Michigan.  Her final remains will be interred with Military Honors at the Bakersfield National Cemetery in Arvin, California, where she will rest forever next to her husband Michael, the love of her life.

In addition to her brothers John Boyle of Henderson, Nevada, and James Boyle and his wife Polly, of Bakersfield, California, she leaves behind daughter Colleen Soltis-McGraw and her wife Peggie Soltis-McGraw, formerly of Bakersfield, California, son Michael P. McGraw and wife Kelly McGraw, of Bakersfield California, and daughter Megan McGraw, of Chicago, Illinois. Her beloved grandchildren are Christy Trunec (deceased), Melissa Benesh (husband Pete), Brian McGraw and Brogan McGraw, Melanie Stevenson (husband Clint), and Jordan Keigley (wife Abby).  Vicki was a proud great-grandmother to William and Natalie Benesh, Sophia, Ava, and Ezra Stevenson, and Zoe Keigley.

Our family wishes to express its deepest gratitude to the staff of Columbus Estates, Hallmark Assisted Living, and Hoffman Hospice for the wonderful care and comfort they have provided during the final stages of our mother’s wonderful life.  A special thank you to granddaughter Melanie Stevenson for her care and devotion to her grandmother in her final years.

 A private family service is planned.