Emily Graham Kiekhofer

East Providence, R.I. – Emily Graham Kiekhofer, 95, died Tuesday, February 27, 2018, at Tockwotton on the Waterfront, East Providence, surrounded by her loving family.  She was the beloved wife of the late William H.O. Kiekhofer, M.D.

Born in Madison, Wisconsin, a daughter of the late Alexander and Molly (Grinde) Graham, she had lived in Madison, East Lansing, Michigan and Tulsa, Oklahoma before moving to Rhode Island eleven years ago.

Mrs. Kiekhofer came from a family of educators and philanthropists.  She was a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she earned her M.S. in Botany, and was a Phi Beta Kappa.  She worked as an Instructor at the Wellesley College Department of Botany, and as a Registered Representative for Waddell & Reed Mutual Funds, Tulsa, Oklahoma.

She was a former member of the Kappa Alpha Theta Alumnae Chapter, the Wisconsin Alumni Assn., the Attic Angels Assn, and the Luther Memorial Church, all of Madison, Wisconsin; and a former member of the P.E.O. Sisterhood, Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she also served on the Executive Board and as State Chapter President, as well as serving on the Board of Trustees of Cottey College in Nevada, Missouri.

She enjoyed botany, travelling, antiques, and cooking, and will be remembered by all as a loving, kind and generous person.

She is survived by three daughters, Emily Jane Lockrem, and her husband Peter, of San Jose, California; Susan Graham Belshe, and her partner Jud Van Wyk, of Providence, and Margaret Anne Gray, and her husband Duncan, of Swansea, Massachusetts; one son, William Kiekhofer III, and his wife Cindy, of Los Angeles, California; seven grandchildren, Sarah Lockrem, Alex Belshe, Caroline Bergeron, and her husband Gabe, Allison Kiekhofer, Rachel Kiekhofer, Phoebe Kiekhofer and Owen Gray; and her beloved nieces and nephews.  She was the sister of the late Elizabeth Harvey.

Special thanks to her devoted caregiver, Nelly, for her kindness and loving assistance during her final years.

A Celebration of Her Life will be held Saturday, March 3, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. in Bellows Funeral Chapel, 160 River Road, Lincoln.  Relatives and friends are invited.  Burial will take place in Forest Hills Cemetery, Madison, Wisconsin.  Memorial contributions in her memory to Hope Hospice & Palliative Care of R.I., 1085 North Main Street, Providence, R.I. 02904, or to the American Diabetes Association – Boston Chapter, 260 Cochituate Road #200, Framingham, MA 01701 would be appreciated.  

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