A Phenomenal Woman
Dianne Bledsoe Graham was born on September 17, 1951, in Hanford, California,
to Dekator and Annie Bledsoe. Dianne was one of the two youngest of her eight siblings,
as she and her sister Joanne were twins. The two were inseparable, they were powerful
together and loved one another immensely. However, that did not stop Dianne from
getting her sister in trouble at every opportunity. This did not stop with her twin but
with all her other siblings, especially when she forgot her undergarments on the way to
school one day. Dianne was a rebel in her own right and was loved for it.

Dianne attended Praises of Zion Missionary Baptist Church where she accepted
Christ at an early age and was in the junior choir and junior usher board. She would
later join Greater Truelight Missionary Baptist Church and sing in the senior choir and
a traveling gospel group, Signs and Wonders. Dianne was known for her beautiful jazzy
gospel voice. As a child, Dianna attended several elementary schools but graduated from
Marion Anderson Elementary School in Los Angeles County.

She completed her secondary education at Willowbrook Junior High School, where she became
a member of many organizations, in many of which she held advocating positions. These included
the chorus, and the Girl's Athletic Association, since she played softball. Dianne would carry her
affinity for being involved in multiple activities into high school, where she attended Centennial
High School, in Compton, California. She was Senior Vice President of the student government in
her junior and senior years. Dianne would further her education at Redlands University in Redlands,
California, and then transferred to Utah State University where she was awarded a Bachelor of
Arts in Speech Pathology and Audiology. She furthered her education working on
her Master's Degree in Special Education at Utah State University until she decided
to return home.

Dianne went on to work for the Los Angeles Unified School District, working
with special needs children. Shortly after, she changed career paths and began working
with the Suicide Prevention Center and then the Rehabilitation Treatment Center,
advancing her career from counselor to clinical manager and eventually assistant
director.

Dianne met Garry Graham and the two were married on July 21, 1984. During
their wedded bliss they bore one son, David Bledsoe Graham. As a mother, Dianne
taught David to help others when in need and taught him that if he puts God first
anything is possible.

Dianne continued to persevere and moved forward in her career, working
in other treatment and rehabilitation centers until she was offered a position at the
ERAS Educational Center, a network of group homes for individuals with intellectual
disabilities, as an Educational Supervisor of Staff and the manager of three group
homes. In this role, she would catapult her career to an Executive Administrator,
providing jobs for others and educating individuals about the services they provided
for consumers.

In 2009, Dianne retired and moved to Mississippi by way of Florence, Alabama, to
support her son who attended college there. During this time, she inherited a daughter,
Stephanie Taylor-Harris, whom she loved very much. The two were inseparable.
As the family of three started this new journey, they joined Trinity Missionary Baptist
Church in Florence, Alabama, which became their church family. Dianne led the
welcoming ministry. She enjoyed greeting visitors as well as members until her health
failed.

On Friday, July 21, 2023, Dianne transitioned from this world to her heavenly
home at the age of seventy-one years old. She was preceded in death by her parents,
Dekator and Annie Bledsoe; sisters, Mary, Baby Bledsoe, and Helen Mills; and brother,
Robert E. Lee Bledsoe.

Dianne leaves to cherish her memory: her husband, Garry Graham; siblings, Nona
Bledsoe, Fred and Florence Green, Reverend Melvin and Joanne Brown, and sister-in-law, Marion Bledsoe; child, David Bledsoe Graham; stepchildren, Gregory Graham and Stephanie Taylor-Harris; godchildren, Dr. Kelly Phillips-Gillett, Nicholas Bevans,
Christine Graham, Eddie Jones II, and adopted god-son, Melvin Brown, Jr.; and a host
of nieces, nephews, extended and inherited family, and friends.

Transitory Service Rendered By: Grace Memorial Funeral Home- Sheffield, Alabama