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David Eugene McGraw, died from natural causes at his home in West Salem, Oregon on February 2, 2017.
David was born on July 3, 1965 in Middletown, Ohio to the proud and devoted parents of Jeffrey and Janice (Lykins) McGraw. He was an intelligent, dignified and loyal son, brother, uncle and employee. His sister, Lori McGraw, was a lifelong advocate for and protector of her brother. Her husband, Paul Schreiner, and their sons, Adam Schreiner-McGraw (Maritza Sandoval Aguilar) and Jeffrey Schreiner-McGraw (Annette Marinello) were his faithful supporters.
David was one of the first students with a disability to be mainstreamed into the regular public school classroom in Rockford, Illinois during the early 1970s. He and his parents navigated through school systems that were often ill-equipped to serve students with disabilities. At one point, his mother had to threaten legal action to secure high school physical education classes for him. He graduated from Southwestern High School in Hanover, Pennsylvania. He continued his studies at Edinboro University, a nationally renowned school for supporting students with disabilities. During his time there, he was an avid collegiate athlete, competing in wheelchair basketball, field events and weight lifting. He narrowly missed representing the United States at the 1988 Paralympics Games in Seoul, Korea. He graduated in 1987 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice.
David was a voracious reader of history and he earned a Masters of Government from Lehigh University in 1990. After graduation, he worked for Electronic Data Systems from 1996 to 2003 as a Customer Service Representative. The position that meant the most to him, though, was his Support Specialist position at the Oregon Department of State Lands. He served there from 2007 to 2017. He never missed a day of work, even when he had to have his wheelchair towed out of a snow bank in a blizzard. He found a kind and supportive group of colleagues who enriched his life, particularly in his final years.
David followed his family to Oregon so that he could share his life with them. He loved attending Oregon State basketball games with his parents and nephews, yelling at the coach from the wheelchair section (so the coach could actually hear him). He cheered for his nephews during their running careers and he enjoyed going out to eat with his family. He adored dogs and he was a loving companion to all of his family’s pets. He was stubborn and sometimes challenging. He lived his life the way he wanted to live it, and our hearts are broken.
Celebration of Life
Saturday, April 1st 2017 @ 1 p.m.
Johnson Funeral Home
134 Missouri Ave S Salem, OR 97302
David you will be missed. Sports talking was the best. My prayers are with your family.
As part of the DSL Support Staff, one of the benefits was having the chance to work with David and get to know him better.
David was an integral part of our group and his sudden death shocked and sadden me.
My prayers are with David's family. Know the sorrow and sadness may never totally be gone however the Memories will carry you as they are a Gift.
David will always be fondly remembered by DSL Family.
My offers to hold open doors or get him up an incline were always accepted with grace, even though I know the help wasn't really needed and it was more for my benefit than for his! David is missed and my prayers go to your family.
Dear Janice and Jeff, I am so sorry to hear of David's passing. He was such an extraordinary young man, and I know how proud you must be to have shared all his accomplishments.
I am thinking of you in this hard time. Love, linda
My heart and prayers go out to David’s Family. I was SO lucky to have the opportunity to work with David for the past 8 months at DSL. I already miss his warm smile and daily “Good Mornings”. My fondest memory of David is when there was a lot of work to be done and I would bring it to him to scan and he would grumble about it. I would tell him, “get done what you can...there is always tomorrow (with laughter)” and his reply would be “let’s keep on the road”. There was one day the work was much greater than normal. After he completed the job he came up to me and said “Thanks for taking me on a Safari. We went WAY off road today. But I’m the ScanMan.” Well David, I will try my best to keep in on the road everyday. However, when I “take a Safari” I will always think of you.
I was lucky to have David as one of my team members for the last 2 years. He would always greet me with a smile. His love for his work, life and basketball .... never wavered. I will miss his laughter. I knew he would always be at work and do what ever our team needed - he accepted every challenge, (being Santa, Dr. McGraw, "Gru" at Halloween or most recently, Scan Man) with a smile. My heart goes out to he family..you are all in my prayers.
I've known David the past 4 years while working at DSL! I loved his positive attitude and his great sense of humor! He will be greatly missed. My prayers to the family at this difficult time!
I had the pleasure of working with David over the last ten years. I never heard him speak unkindly about anyone. I already miss his sense of humor and his laugh when something struck him as funny. He touched many people and will be greatly missed. My heartfelt sympathies to the family.
I will always remember David and how his eyes just lit up when we would discuss basketball!! He was the only one who enjoyed and followed the sport as much as I do. He was a perfect gentleman. He will be truly missed. DSL was very blessed to have met David McGraw. Our prayers and thoughts go out to your family.
I'm so sorry for your loss. I had the great fortune of coming to work every morning and talking sports with David for the past ten years. I will always cherish the time we got to spend together.