Maxine Van de Graaf; 1933-2025

Maxine Van de Graaf passed away peacefully on Dec. 6, surrounded by her family. She had a wonderful vibrant life and was known as “gracious and kind” and very loved. She was born Dec. 7, 1933, in Toppenish, WA, to Randel and Mildred (Riggins) Stovall. Her grandparents had been on the Oregon Trail and came from Kentucky and the Daniel Boone line, a heritage she was extremely proud of.

As a young girl, she was a beautiful tall red head who loved horses, riding her horse “Penny,” music and bicycling around Toppenish. She graduated from Toppenish High School in 1951 at the top of her class. She attended Washington State University and was a member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority, which she really cherished.

While queen of the Toppenish Pow Wow Rodeo in 1953 she met Dick, who was chariot racing at the rodeo, and they were married 5 months later. They shared a love of horses, which were woven throughout their lives. When Dick was drafted into the Army, they relocated with their young family to Fort Ord, CA, and to Fort Lewis. After the Army, they returned to the White Swan family farm and then to Toppenish to feed cattle. In 1959, Dick and Maxine purchased their first feedlot in Sunnyside. Dick worked hard feeding cattle and Maxine did the bookkeeping and took care of everything else. She was president of the local PTA and Yakima County Cowbells, helped to establish Lower Valley Hospice (Heartlinks) and was active in the fundraising group for the Lower Valley Pathway for bicycles. She was on the foundation and board of the Sunnyside Hospital (Astria) and saw to it that Ben Snipes, the area’s first cattleman, was recognized with a bronze statue in Sunnyside by his log cabin. She sang soprano in her church choir and assisted with Sunday school. She went to all of Rick and Rod’s sports events, basketball games and rodeos. She was the secretary and timer for numerous roping events in the Van de Graaf arena and helped put on team ropings. She went to many, or almost all, of the grandchildren’s events, including their parades, basketball and soccer games, horse shows, etc. She attended all their college graduations and went on most family trips with the grandchildren. She learned to fly Dick’s Cessna 182 along with Dick, and was only a few solo hours short of getting her pilot’s license.

She loved the outdoors and the mountains and packing in with the horses to fish or hunt or just camp. She hunted with Dick and the boys for deer and elk. She went river rafting on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River with her brother, Dale, sister-in-law, Carol, and sister, Susie. Maxine spent countless hours riding horseback working or rounding up cattle at their Ellensburg ranch or in the Horse Heavens at the Six Prong ranch where she also provided her home cooked meals for the cowboy crews. She was a beautiful horsewoman and always rode the more spirited horses. She travelled with Dick on cattle buying trips and helped with the expansion of the cattle feeding operation known as Van de Graaf Ranches. She and Suzanne Monson assisted with the details of starting the Washington Beef Packing House (Agri-Beef today) for their newly founded partnership. Maxine was always involved in the cattle industry in some capacity.

Maxine enjoyed the Sunnyside Novella Club and the nine-hole golf ladies in Sunnyside. Some of her favorite times were at her beach house in Seabeck, WA, or at the ranch house for the Ellensburg Rodeo weekend or playing cards. She loved traveling. Sister Susie and Karen took her to Paris and numerous trips to New York City for Broadway plays and museums. She went to Europe to see Dick’s Dutch relatives, as well as Ireland, Spain, England and Cabo San Lucas. Dick and Maxine travelled around the world to large cattle ranches with the Western Livestock Journal group. The friends they met and experiences shared were some of their favorite memories.

Maxine is a member of the Sunnyside Presbyterian Church. She is survived by her loving husband, Dick (who took exceptional care of her these past few years); daughter, Karen Erickson and husband, Steve; son, Rick and wife, Kathy; and son, Rod, all of Sunnyside. She was preceded in death by daughter, Dana Susan; her parents; and granddaughter, Heather. She is survived by her brother, Retired Brigadier General Dale E. Stovall and wife, Carol (Missoula, MT); and sister, Susan Crossland and husband, David (Good Year, AZ). She has 10 grandchildren: Heidi Tranisi (husband, Joe), Hilary Cullen (husband, Ryan), Hunter Van de Graaf (wife, Meghan), Juliana Van Wingerden (husband, Matt), Dr. Connor Erickson (wife, Gaby), Annaka Vasquez (husband, Cesar), Kyle Van de Graaf, Cole Van de Graaf (wife, Rhani), Drew Van de Graaf, and Nate Van de Graaf (wife, Rachael.) Maxine was blessed with 15 great-grandchildren and one more on the way. She is also survived by numerous loving nieces, nephews and cousins, and sisters-in-laws, Lydia Lommers and Carolyn Van de Graaf.

Memorials may be made to the Sunnyside Presbyterian Church 737 S. 16th St. Sunnyside, WA 98944 or Heartlinks Hospice and Palliative Care 3920 Outlook Rd. Sunnyside, WA 98944