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Here’s a beautiful fall landscape in Mapleton, a sweeping view of grapes and apples with lovely fall colors in the background. My niece, Heatherlyn Johnson Reamer (my brother Dean’s daughter) and her husband Cory live in a house to the right of this view.
Heather and Cory have done a beautiful job of restoring and renovating the house, once owned by the DeGraw family. Maurice DeGraw is the only member of that family I recall meeting, and he was a super nice guy. He was very active in the Old Mission community, and was also manager of the Traverse City Transit Lines bus company in town.
Here’s a story from the Traverse City Record-Eagle dated Thursday, May 22, 1947, in which Maurice is noted as providing music to a community event. (You’ll notice several other longtime Old Mission family names, too.) I think we should bring back the Peninsula Bustle Biddies! Who’s with me?!
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Maurice DeGraw and his wife Jarka were amazing people. Maurice played the piano at my wedding reception! I loved them both very much. Thank you sharing such a great memory!
Oh my gosh! How cool is that! How neat that Maurice played at your reception. I wish I’d had the chance to get to know him better. I mostly just met and knew him when Dean was buying the farm.
This is my grandpa. He loved to play his piano and sing along!