Sibyl Graham

(From Ferry Funeral Home)

Sibyl Annette Tolman Graham passed away peacefully in her home in Nevada, Mo., on Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023, surrounded by family. She was 97 years young, a beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, teacher, and friend to many. Someone who will be dearly missed. 

She pulled weeds in the garden and did quilting and cross stitch for the church bazaar until the very end. She was proud that her zinnias and peonies were useful at church after age restricted her attendance.

Sibyl was born on April 15, 1926, in Vienna, Mo., to George O. Tolman and Jewel Johnson Tolman. Her father was a Methodist minister. As a child she lived in several west Missouri cities where her father preached, prominent among them were Southwest City, Aurora, and Fair Grove. She graduated from Fair Grove High School in 1944 and earned a music degree from Drury College in Springfield in 1948.

At Fair Grove, she met the one and only love of her life and was united in marriage to George Wallis Graham on June 6, 1948, at the Methodist Church in Rogersville, Mo., where her father was serving as pastor. They were happily married for 66 years before his death in 2014. They moved from Carthage to Nevada in 1964 for George’s job with the University of Missouri Extension Service.

Sibyl taught for two years in the Columbia, Mo., school system. She was a substitute teacher for Nevada schools for 23 years.

She was a member of the Nevada United Methodist Church and a charter member of the United Methodist Women. She witnessed a lot of Methodist Church history and could talk of long-ago conferences and mergers of congregations. Sibyl was a member of the Elizabeth Carey Chapter of DAR. She was a member of the Friends and Neighbors Extension Club. She was active in shepherding her children through 4-H and Boy Scout activities. George and Sibyl took great pleasure sitting high in the west bleachers to watch granddaughters Stacy and Jennifer Hancock show hogs at the Vernon County Fair, and to see all the other families they knew and appreciated.

Sibyl is survived by her four children: George William (Bill) Graham, Platte City, Mo.; Robert (Bob) Willard Graham and wife Kathi, Independence, Mo.; James (Jim) Franklin Graham and wife Christy, Webb City, Mo., and Jane Ann Hancock and husband Terry, Nevada, Mo. Erich Klein of Germany is an honorary son. She is also survived by seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. A daughter, Linda Louise Graham, died shortly after birth in 1951. A brother, Willard Tolman and his wife JoAnn, preceded her in death. Also preceding her in death were her beloved grandchildren Jess Tolman Graham and Haley Jane Elizabeth Graham.

Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 6, at the Nevada United Methodist Church. The family will receive friends from 9:00-10:00 a.m. prior to the service. Interment will be at Hazelwood Cemetery in Springfield, MO. Pallbearers will be Bill Graham, Bob Graham, Jim Graham, Terry Hancock, Matt Engstrom, and Nathan Graham. Honorary pallbearers are Jakob Graham, Christopher Bryant, Willard Tolman, John Leigh, Erich Klein, and Greg Leininger. The family requests that memorial contributions in her name be made to Nevada's Community Council for the Performing Arts or the charity of your choice.