David Mcgraw

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.