Lynn Graham Piper, of Naples, FL, passed away in her sleep early on February 16, 2015. Lynn was born to Carl Kenneth and Alene Graham on October 18, 1932, in Wichita, KS. Her younger life was spent in Wichita where she was graduated from East High School. She attended the University of Kansas majoring in child development. Lynn was an hostess for TWA until she married Joseph C. Piper, who was an Officer with the Department of the Judge Advocate General of the United States Air Force in 1956. They settled in Des Moines, IA the following year.
As a volunteer, Lynn began a program for pre-school aged children at the Opportunity Center in West Des Moines, all while raising her five children. Her desire to prepare children for school pre-dated Head Start by many years. Mrs. Piper also taught English as a second language and citizenship classes at Hawthorn Hill to homebound and homeless women.
Lynn loved figure skating. She was able to combine her skill as a skater with her educational gifts by teaching the sport to adults and children alike. When her fifth child left for college, she also took up painting. People all over the United States are enjoying her oils and pastels. She was excited to have sold a particular piece that may still be sailing somewhere in the world on a private yacht. She enjoyed participating in art shows in Des Moines as well as Naples, especially Art in the Park.
Shortly after Joseph's 1990 retirement, he suffered some health problems which were aggravated by the cold weather. The sunshine and warmth of Naples beckoned them and they have been residents of Naples for the past twenty three years. The couple returned to Iowa in the summer to visit with friends and family.
Lynn was a very outgoing person. She had a gentle and quiet spirit. She enjoyed participating in many organizations. While living in Des Moines, she was member of the Junior League, the Des Moines Golf and Country Club, and the Embassy Club. At various times during her years in Naples, she had been a member of the Naples Yacht Club, the Moorings Country Club, and the Royal Poinciana Country Club. Her most beloved membership was that of the North Naples United Methodist Church.
Lynn is survived by her husband, Joseph (aged 84 years); sons, Joseph (Holly) Piper of Walsenburg CO, Dr. James (Joann) Piper and their children, Greg, Christopher, and Abigail of Great Falls, VA, and Dr. John (Susan) Piper of West Des Moines and their three children, Grace, John, and Joseph; her brother, Steve Graham and his wife, Ebba Kararup reside in Bellingham, WA. She was preceded in death by her son, Dr. Jeffrey Graham Piper, in 2004 and by her daughter, Ann Kathryn Piper, in 2014.
A Memorial Service will be held 10 a.m. Saturday, September 19 at Valley Evangelical Free Church, 4343 Fuller Rd, West Des Moines. She will be laid to rest with her deceased son and daughter in a private family ceremony in the Chariton Cemetery in Iowa.
