Grace Ilene Reafsnyder was born on January 2, 1936 in Delphis, Kansas.  She was the 8th of 10 children born to Guy Allen and Agnes Reafsnyder.  She graduated Garden Grove High School in 1953.  She was socially active along with her brothers and sister at school.  In fact, Grace never quit moving unless she was sleeping; the word tired was not in her vocabulary.  She loved any project that involved giving and doing for others.  She would literally give you the shirt off her back.  If anything needed doing,  Grace was the person to get it done.

Grace met and married Donald Read in 1954.  They had two children, Edward “Skip” and Kathleen “Kathie”.  When Skip was young, Don joined the Navy and the family followed him to Guam where they lived for two years before returning to set up their new home in Garden Grove on Audrey Circle.  They lived there for over 45 years.  She joined Don working at Alpha Beta, where she worked for over 35 years.  If there was a work function, Grace was coordinating it and making enough food to sink a battleship.

Grace grew up playing cards with all her brothers and sisters and there was always a card game going at her house.  She had an open-door policy at her house and everyone was always welcome.  If you showed up at dinner time, you could be sure there was always enough food for everyone.  Skip said when he was young, he and all of his friends would go to each of their homes and determine what was for dinner and then decide where they were going to eat.  Grace was deathly afraid of water as she never learned to swim; yet she knew her children would love it; therefore, she and Don built a pool in their backyard.   Yet one more reason for all the neighborhood kids to hang out.

As a young mother, she was an active Girl Scout leader and very active in the Boy Scouts and it didn’t stop with her kids – she was active in her nieces and nephews' lives as well.  When it came to being a Grandmother, Grace was not a part-time grandma  She was fully involved in the daily lives Tyson, Dustin, Brandee, Danielle, Cheyenne, Dakota, and Dallas.  She would attend every event if there was any way possible, and she would take them to the amusement parks, parks, beaches, sporting events and help in their classrooms to mention only a small part of her interaction with them.  They always knew they were loved deeply and unconditionally.

In 1997, she retired from Alpha Beta and moved in with Skip and his wife, Kat, in Corona, CA.  Soon Kathie and her children also moved to Corona  and she was the hub of the family wheel for activities and functions.  When Skip and Kat relocated to Las Vegas in 2010, Grace was a pivotal part of the family.  There she became active in church helping with the children’s ministry.  The card-playing continued in Las Vegas and she would make monthly trips back to California for the brother’s and sister’s card game. 

Grace never stopped wanting to help.  Even in the later years, when Grace’s mind started to slip and she moved into assisted living she still wanted to help with the dishes and the vacuuming and when they told her she couldn’t due to liability she would get really mad.  Her new home allowed her to continue to walk in the gardens and assist others there who needed it as long as her mind would permit.  She continued to go to church with the family and do the children’s ministry weekly until she became immobile. 

The caregivers at her home loved her and said she was one of their favorite housemates. 

Grace’s may be gone to a better place – but her laughter and heartwarming messages she taught all of us will live on for generations to come.  Until we meet again Grace, say hello to Kathie, your mom, dad, brothers and sisters, and all the people who have gone before you who are waiting with open arms to hug you once again.