Rose Mary Overall Graves, 92, a 50-year resident of Fort Worth, died March 21 of pneumonia. Rose was born July 14, 1927 in Dallas. She was the eldest of three daughters born to Morrison Columbus (M.C.) and Berta Overall.
She spent her childhood in various East Texas communities, graduating from New London High School in 1944. She then attended business school in Tyler. Rose worked for independent and major oil companies as a secretary in Kilgore. She later worked for Royal Oil Company in Fort Worth.
She met her future husband, James Alex Graves, while she was working as a secretary at Shell Oil in Kilgore. Jim and Rose were married Oct. 16, 1954. They had two daughters, Debbie Ann Graves Ratcliffe, and Jamie Lynn Graves Cummings.
Rose’s hobbies included sewing and gardening. She taught Sunday School for many years at First Christian Church of Kilgore. She began going to aerobic classes several times a week around the time she turned 70 years old. She was so dedicated to these classes that she won the YMCAer of the Month Award when she was 86.
Survivors include daughter Debbie Ratcliffe and her husband R.G. Ratcliffe of Austin, daughter Jamie Cummings and her husband Bruce Cummings of Fort Worth, grandchildren Katie Ratcliffe of Austin, Jim Cummings and his wife Lauren Cummings of Watauga, Daniel Ratcliffe of Austin, and Brett Cummings of Idaho Falls, Idaho, and two-great grandchildren Brooks and Houston Cummings of Watauga.
A private family burial will occur March 24 at Rose Hill Cemetery in Fort Worth.
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