Dorothy J. Graham (Perrin) Dorothy Jean Graham passed away after a short bout with cancer on May 23, 2023. A celebration of Dorothy’s life will be held Saturday, May 27th, 10:30 a.m., with family receiving friends one hour prior to the service, all at Braman Mortuary (Southwest Chapel). Dorothy was born on December 31, 1942, in Omaha, Nebraska, to Virgil C. (Jack) and Dorothy (Dot) Perrin. She graduated from St. Cloud, Minnesota, Technical High School with honors and attended St. Mary’s Hospital, Rochester, Minnesota, School of Nursing. While she was in nursing school, she met Robert (Bob)Graham on a blind date. They were married in 1962. Dorothy and Bob had three children: Debbie (Jayson) Ford, Sandy (Robert) Vlasnik, and Rich (Debbie) Graham. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree (summa cum laude) and a Master of Science degree, both in Psychology, from the University of Nebraska-Omaha. Upon graduation she worked in the UNO Career Development Office. Later she worked at Mutual of Omaha, rising to the position of Assistant Vice President of Diversity. She retired after many years as a Career Development Specialist for Bellevue University. In the 1970s she was an avid tennis player, winning trophies for doubles in Omaha community tournaments. Her favorite players to watch were Billy Jean King, Chris Evert, Jimmy Connors, and Martina Navratilova. Dorothy was the ultimate baseball/softball fan. She coached her daughter, Sandy’s, softball team in the late 1970s. She spent many hours in the bleachers watching her grandsons, Jefferson Vlasnik and Jordan Vlasnik, play ball in the late 1990s/early 2000s. Her other hobbies included reading, especially James Patterson, and spending time with her Yorkie, Lincoln. Over the last year she enjoyed living at Walnut Grove Senior Independent Living. Dorothy loved matching wits with her friends by playing her favorite game, Scrabble. Over her lifetime she was a huge Neil Diamond fan and saw him in concert with Debbie and Sandy. She was preceded in death by her parents (above) and her brother, Richard T. Perrin. In addition to her children and their spouses, she is survived by her sister-in-law, Judy Perrin Johnson; her brother, Steven (Peggy) Perrin; her five grandchildren: Jefferson (Jazmin) Vlasnik, Jordan Vlasnik, Richard Trahan, Jasmine Graham, and Janis Graham; 12 great grandchildren; and many cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Nebraska Humane Society. “Holly holy love. Take the lonely child. And the seed, let it be filled with tomorrow. Holly holy.” -Neil Diamond Braman Mortuary - Southwest Chapel 6505 S. 144 St. Omaha, NE 68137 402-895-3400
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