Mary Ryan White and Bruce McConnell Graham

MARY RYAN WHITE, daughter of MARY AUGUSTA IRVINE and ALFRED RYAN WHITE, was born April 15, 1922,⁴⁵⁶ and died May 22, 2011.^{456, 168} She is buried in Mossy Creek Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Mount Solon, Augusta, Virginia.⁴⁵⁶

She married BRUCE MCCONNELL GRAHAM on January 27, 1945 in Bridgewater Methodist Church, Rockingham County, Virginia.⁵⁶⁸⁷

• Descendant Reports
  • Edward Erwin Descendant Report (Ancestor of Mary R. White)
  • Jacob Clements Descendant Report (Ancestor of Mary R. White)
  • William Campbell Descendant Report (Ancestor of Mary R. White)
  • Francis Stuart Descendant Report (Ancestor of Mary R. White)

Staunton News-Leader, January 30, 1945⁵⁶⁸⁷

MARY RYAN WHITE IS BRIDE OF LT. (jg) BRUCE GRAHAM

Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Ryan White of Bridgewater announce the marriage of their daughter, Mary Ryan White, to Lt. (jg) Bruce McConnell Graham, U. S. N. R., son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Polk Graham of Bridgewater.

The wedding took place Saturday, Jan. 27, at four o'clock at the Bridgewater Methodist Church with the Rec. James W. Turner officating. The church was decorated with candles, palms, ferns and baskets of mixed flowers.

The wedding march was played by Miss Ruth E. Waybright and Miss Virginia Graham, sister of the bridegroom sang two solos "Through the Years" and "O Perfect Love."

The bride was given in marriage by Mr. Garold White, her cousin. Her matron of honor was Mrs. Elton Garner, sister of the bridegroom. The bride wore a slate blue dressmaker suit with winter-white accessories and carried white roses on a prayer book. Her attendant wore a grapestone dressmaker suit with black accessories and carried a spray of mixed flowers.

Mr. Charles P. Graham was best man for his son. The groomsmen were: Pvt. Robert S. Miller and James Shipman.

A reception was held in the social hall of the church immediately following the ceremony. The receiving line included Mrs. Alfred R. White, Charles P. Graham, Mrs. Charles P. Graham, Garold Whie, Mrs. M. E. Garner and Lieutenant and Mrs. Graham.

The bride's mother wore a dress of black crepe with talisman rose corsage and the bridegroom's mother wore black crepe with pink rose corsage. Both bride and bridegroom graduated from Bridgewater High School and Bridgewater College.

Since graduation Mrs. Graham has been employed in the Bridgewater Post office. Lieutenant Graham received his commission from Columbia University and has just returned from submarine duty in the Pacific.

After a short wedding trip north, the couple will leave for the West coast where Lieutenant Graham is assigned.

Daily News-Record, May 26, 2011¹⁶⁸

Mary R. Graham

Mary Ryan White Graham, 89, of Bridgewater, Va., only daughter of Mary Augusta Irvine and Alfred Ryan White, both of Bridgewater, died peacefully on Sunday, May 22, 2011.

She was predeceased by her beloved husband of 53 years, Bruce McConnell Graham. She is survived by her three children, Nancy Graham of London, England, Bruce Graham Jr. (Patricia Granfield) of Vienna, Va., and Mary Graham (Bill McDaniel) of Virginia Beach, Va.; and her grandchildren, Christopher (Bob), Allison and Joshua McDaniel, Katy and Tom Graham and Rachel Granfield.

Mary graduated from Bridgewater High School and Bridgewater College, and after graduation and during the war, she worked as assistant postmistress in Bridgewater. In 1945, she married her high school sweetheart and college classmate, Bruce Graham. Together they lived in Blacksburg Va., Seattle, Wash., and Fairfax, Va., while Bruce was with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. After Bruce retired, they lived in the Philippines and in Thailand before settling into their home in the Bridgewater Retirement Community.

Mary loved her family most of all and could not have been a prouder mother and grandmother. She was a lifelong lover of music, whether she was playing piano, singing or just listening. As a young woman, she was organist at Bridgewater United Methodist Church, and she sang in the group "Those Girls," who appeared at local venues and on the radio until their mothers objected. She recalled that on VJ Day, with her young husband on a submarine in the South Pacific, she "flew down" to Bridgewater Church to play the Doxology. She passed on her love of music and of books to all of her children and grandchildren.

When asked to describe herself, Mary's answer was always "a Methodist and a Democrat." She sang in choirs, was an active member of United Methodist Women, and as long as her health permitted, regularly attended Sunday school classes and Bible study.

The family would like to give special thanks to all of the staff at Bridgewater Retirement Community, First Choice Home Health, and Rockingham Memorial Hospital for the kind and loving care given to Mary and Bruce in all stages of their lives in the Bridgewater Retirement Community.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Bridgewater Health Care Foundation or Bridgewater United Methodist Church.

A memorial service will be held on Sunday, May 29, at 4 p.m. at Bridgewater United Methodist Church. A reception will follow in the church social hall.