Obituary of Lena May Graham

Funeral Services for Lena May (nee Hemphill) Graham of Bowling Green, MO, formerly of Elsberry, MO and Wright City, MO, will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, March 18, 2023 at Carter-Ricks Funeral Home in Elsberry. David Meers will officiate with burial in Elsberry City Cemetery. Serving as pallbearers will be Lena’s nephews and great-nephews. Ms. Graham, 93, passed away Sunday morning, March 12, 2023, at the Country View Nursing Facility in Bowling Green, MO, one day shy of her 94th birthday. Born March 13, 1929 in Pittsfield, IL, she was the daughter of Aaron Grant and Miranda May (nee Stout) Hemphill. When Lena was two years old, her family moved to Annada, MO, where she spent her childhood years. On August 16, 1952, she married Ralph H. Graham. They resided for many years on a farm near Elsberry. She was a former member of the American Legion Auxiliary #226 in Elsberry. In 1980 Lena and her husband separated, and Lena moved to Wright City, MO. She lived in Wright City for 41 years before moving into the Nursing Facility in Bowling Green in December, 2021. Lena was primarily known as Aunt Lena by her many nephews, nieces and their families. She loved the families and hosted an annual Christmas dinner for many years for the Hemphill relatives. Lena was exceptionally industrious and worked at various jobs throughout her life. She traveled extensively throughout the country and loved to duck hunt, fish and listen to live and recorded country music. She was preceded in death by her parents, Aaron and Miranda Hemphill, Sr.; three sisters: Laura Elizabeth Windmiller, Donna Louise Wright and Trula Lee Stewart; and two brothers: Aaron Grant Hemphill, Jr., and Harold Eugene Hemphill. Lena leaves several nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews, other relatives and many friends. Memorials may be made to Meals on Wheels in care of Carter-Ricks Funeral Home, 107 S. 5th Street; Elsberry, MO 63343. Online condolences may be made at www.carterricksfuneralhome.com.