Eva M. (Carpenter) Graffum, 86, longtime resident of Ipswich and wife of the late Norman S. Graffum, died Thursday December 11, 2008 in the Caldwell Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center following her long illness.

Born May 23, 1922 in Newburyport, the daughter of the late Edward E. and Lillian (Dixon) Carpenter, she was raised in Newburyport where she attended St. Mary’s Parochial School. Married 1942 in Newburyport, the Graffums made their home and raised their family in Ipswich. With a grown family she worked for many years as a lunch room aide in the Ipswich elementary schools, retiring from the Doyon School.

Mrs. Graffum was an avid home flower gardener. She enjoyed sewing, walking with her grandchildren and friends and dogs, having owned and loved several Pekinese.

She was a longtime communicant of St. Joseph Church and Our Lady of Hope Parish, and was a member of the Ipswich Catholic Woman’s Club.

She is survived by two sons, Robert D. Graffum and his wife Vicki of Georgetown and Jeffrey G. Graffum and his wife Sandra of Ipswich; two daughters, Judith M. Trocki and her husband John of Ipswich and Debra A. Graffum of Ipswich; thirteen grandchildren; six great grandchildren; two brothers, James Carpenter of MD and Edward Carpenter of Newbury and many nephews and nieces. She was the sister of the late Harry Carpenter formerly of MD, Elizabeth Handy formerly of CA and Margaret Alexander formerly of Ipswich.

Her funeral will be held Monday December 15 at 8 am from the Whittier-Porter Funeral Home, 6 High Street, Ipswich, followed by the celebration of a Mass of Christian Burial at 9 am in Our Lady of Hope Church, Pineswamp Road, Ipswich. Family and friends are respectfully welcomed. Visiting hours are Sunday 2 to 5 pm. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in her name may be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Disease, Church Street, P.O. Box 780, NY, NY 10008-0780.