Dorothy Graham; Longtime Swim Instructor

Dorothy Graham, an Oxnard resident who taught hundreds of area children how to swim, died Friday. She was 78.

Graham was born in San Diego on May 5, 1919. When she was 6 years old, her family moved to Oxnard, where her father took a job working in the oil fields.

An active member of the community, Graham was a lifelong member of the PTA, a member of the board of the Ventura Educational Partnership and a member of the Ventura Chamber of Commerce. She was a recipient of the Mayor Petit Award for her work with schoolchildren and was a distinguished member of the International Society of Poets.

Swimming was her passion, and she passed on her love for the sport to the hundreds of students she taught in her backyard pool, the YMCA and the Pierpont Racquet Club. The Ventura High School’s swimming pool is dedicated to Graham and her husband, George, to honor their fund-raising efforts.

“She was very devoted to kids,” said her brother, Raymond Rude of Ventura. “They loved her. She started really early teaching them to open their eyes underwater, and helping them so they weren’t afraid and could learn to swim.”

In addition to her husband and her brother, Dorothy Graham is survived by her daughter, Carolee Reyburn of Washington, two granddaughters and two great-granddaughters.

Friends may visit Wednesday from 2 to 8 p.m. at the Ted Mayr Funeral Home in Ventura. Services will be held Thursday at 1 p.m. at the funeral home, with the Rev. William Hendren officiating. Burial will follow in Ivy Lawn Memorial Park in Ventura.

Memorial contributions may be made to the David Graham/Stella Brittingham Memorial Scholarship Fund, c/o Jim McConica, McConica Motors, 2260 Thompson Blvd., Ventura 93001. David Graham, Dorothy Graham’s son, was killed while serving in Vietnam.

Arrangements are under the direction of the Ted Mayr Funeral Home in Ventura.