Helen M. Degraff

Helen Marie DeGraff, a long time resident of West Hill in Ithaca, passed away on April 17, 2010 at Oak Hill Manor, where she had resided since October 2008. Helen Marie was born in Wayland NY on August 21, 1913, the oldest child of Helen Marie (Peabody) and William J. Trautlein. Helen Marie grew up in Buffalo, NY .She graduated from Holy Angels Academy in Buffalo, NY 1931. She began her undergraduate studies at Cornell University, where she met her future husband Homer R DeGraff. Marie was a strong soprano with the Cornell University Chorus for many years. In her first experience with the chorus her eldest son David and daughter Margaret also sang in the performance of J. S. Bach’s St. Mathews Passion. She also sang with the Sage Chapel Choir, The St. Catherine of Sienna Church Choir and in her later years at the First Congregational Church in Ithaca. She had a passion for music that she shared with family and friends alike through her singing and piano playing, which was a family holiday tradition.

The Titus house was lost to a fire in 1949, after which Helen Marie, Homer, and their children renovated a horse barn on the

property into a home that remains the family homestead to this day. Helen Marie assisted Homer in the operation of the family landscaping business. She was a longtime employee of Cornell University in the Poultry Sciences Department, retiring in 1980. Helen Marie and Homer began extensive genealogical research into DeGraff family history during the 1960s, tracing family lines back to Europe in the sixteenth century. She continued this research after Homer’s death in 1969.

Helen Marie was a strong soprano with the Cornell University Chorus for many years. In her first experience with the chorus her eldest son David and daughter Margaret also sang in the performance of J. S. Bach’s St. Mathews Passion. She also sang with the Sage Chapel Choir, The St. Catherine of Sienna Church Choir and in her later years at the First Congregational Church in Ithaca. She had a passion for music that she shared with family and friends alike through her singing and piano playing, which was a family holiday tradition.

Helen Marie was a member of the Cayuga Trails Club, hiking several sections of and assisting with the development of the Finger Lakes Trail during the 1960s and 1970s. Helen Marie also enjoyed camping with her sister Louise and friends, including annual summer trips to Bob’s lake in Canada. She was a champion of the environment before her time, assisting

with many causes through the years, and was a strong supporter of Eco Village in Ithaca and the Cornell Plantations. In 1990 Helen Marie donated a tract of land bordering Coy Glen Creek on West Hill to the Cornell Plantations; now known as the Homer & Helen DeGraff Preserve.

Helen Marie is survived by her children, Margaret DeGraff of Ithaca, Timothy DeGraff(Patricia) of Syracuse, Brian DeGraff of Syracuse; daughter-in-law, Margaret Burton of San Diego CA; her grandchildren, Steven Gormley (Laurie) of Hoosick Falls NY, Christopher Gormley of Syracuse, Jennifer Schrantz (Timothy) of Fredonia NY, Jesse DeGraff of San Diego CA, David DeGraff of Ithaca, James DeGraff of Ithaca, and Michelle Tamborino (Paul) of Naples FLA, her great-grandchildren Michael and Mathew Gormley, Jenna, Nathan, and Samuel Schrantz, and Tia Tamborino. Also surviving Helen Marie are her sister, Louise Cronin of Binghamton and her brother, H. David Trautlein (Angela) of Ilion NY, and many nieces and nephews. Predeceasing Helen Marie were her parents, her husband of 35 years Homer, her children, David and Kenneth DeGraff, and her brothers William, Robert and George Trautlein.

A memorial service celebrating the life of Helen Marie DeGraff will be held at Sage Chapel on the Cornell University campus on Saturday, May 8, 2010 at 1 p.m. with Rev. Laura Lee Kent of the First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, Ithaca NY officiating. Memorial contributions may be made to the Cornell Plantations, c/o Cornell University.

They were married on March 31, 1934 in Interlaken NY. After starting a family, Helen Marie and Homer lived in various parts of Upstate New York while Homer worked for the Civilian Conservation Corps; also living in Western New York during World War II before returning to the Ithaca area, where they purchased the