Frances Joan “Mimi” Graves

Frances Joan “Mimi” Graves

1934–2024

Frances Joan Graves went to be with the Lord on April 3, 2024, just weeks after celebrating her 90th birthday, surrounded by friends and family.

Joan was born and raised in Indianapolis, Ind., and was the youngest daughter of Franklin Morgan Andrews and Marie Helen Andrews. She had four sisters and one brother — Sarah, Edith, Wilma, Rilda and Wesley.

Her father was a railroader and she learned from her parents the gifts of kindness, hospitality and generosity. She was quiet and reserved but enjoyed social interactions. She married Roland T. Graves on Aug. 31, 1952, and they traveled throughout the world via the United States Air Force.

After 22 years of military service, they retired in Belen, where home would be for the next 45 years. Joan was active member at First Baptist Church. She volunteered at many events and thoroughly enjoyed working in the kitchen during Vacation Bible School.

Joan was an avid bowler at Sugar Bowl Lanes and was the youth bowling coach for 30+ years. Mimi, as she was known by her grandchildren and extended family, made a conscious effort to always remember birthdays, holidays and special events with a card or letter.

In 2022, she moved to Florida with her youngest daughter, Dawn. She quickly became an integral part of their lives and was woven into the fabric of their home and community, attending Shepherd’s Church in Crestview, and later Fairway Christian Church, in the Villages, Fla. Joan enjoyed meeting new people, attending plays, going on evening walks with her grandson, Zachary, and receiving cards and letters from loved ones. Joan’s greatest joys were spending time with family and friends.

She is survived by her four daughters, their spouses, their children and grandchildren, Sherry and Jeff Johnson, Cyndi and Steve Sluder, Janet Graves and Dawn and Ken Berge; grandchildren and their spouses, Elizabeth and Nick Davis, Erica and John Gonzales, and Heather Peralta, Carson and Zachary Berge; and finally, her great-grandchildren, Elliott and Nora Davis.

She leaves behind a legacy of kindness, generosity and compassion that graced everyone she met. Joan loved the Lord and lived her life as a testimony to His goodness and mercy.

Our heartfelt thanks to friends and family for their love, encouragement, kindness and support, the doctors, nurses, and staff at The Villages Medical Center and Compassionate Care Hospice, and to the caring members at Fairway Christian Church in The Villages, Fla., and First Baptist Church in Belen.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to First Baptist Church, 401 Becker Ave., Belen, NM, 87002, 505-864-8621.

A celebration of life will be held at First Baptist Church at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, July 20, followed by a brief graveside service at 11:30 a.m. at Terrace Grove Cemetery, ending with a sit-down meal at First Baptist Church fellowship hall.