Lucy M. Graves

Lucy Miller Graves, 85, of Gainesville, died January 26 at Elmcroft of Roswell Senior Living facility due to complications of Alzheimer's.

Born February 21, 1926, in Murrayville, Georgia, to Mattie Anderson Miller and Joseph Sherman Miller, she moved to Gainesville after marrying William Lewis Graves of Toccoa in 1946.

Lucy began her career at Slack Auto Parts, developing a phenomenal skill for memorizing numbers. After setting a sales record with Nalley Chevrolet that held well into the 1960's, Lucy found her true calling, caring for children. In 1959 Lucy began caring for one neighbor child in their home, steadily expanding into what later became Joyland Nursery School. In 1970 Lucy purchased Happyland Kindergarten from founder Frances Shaw and in 1973 she built the state-of-the-art Joyland Early Learning Center. With the opening of Joyland II in 1978, Lucy became the largest privately owned childcare operator in the United States. The founders of Kindercare consulted Lucy for advice before entering into the field and fondly referred to her as "Mrs. Childcare." She was listed in the 1973 volume of "Who's Who in Georgia" and she chaired the committee that established the childcare regulations for the State of Georgia. Lucy will be remembered by thousands of children who attended her schools.

Lucy served on the board of the Georgia Alliance for the Mentally Ill and was a founding member of the Hall Family Initiative Residences, whose group homes became a model for federal studies of housing choices for special needs adults.

After retirement, Lucy became an avid traveler. She enjoyed being accompanied by her son Michael, whom she referred to as her tour guide.

Lucy was preceded in death by her husband William Lewis Graves, her parents, her brother Paul Miller, her sister Girlie Mae Holbrook, and granddaughter Ann Elizabeth Sigler. Survivors are her five children: Linda (Don) Sigler of Whitefish, Montana, their son Matthew (Kelly) and grandson Liam; Cindy (John) Petterson of Lakeland, Florida, children Brian (Wendy) Petterson and Beth Dickman, and grandchildren Jake, Abby and Luke Petterson and Lauren and Sam Dickman; Debbie (Clay) Hulsey of Flowery Branch; Chris (Peter) Paddrik of Marietta, and children Katherine, Michael and Christopher, son Michael Graves of Gainesville, brother Jeff (Nellie Mae) Miller, and several nieces and nephews.

The funeral service will be held at 11:00 am Monday, January 30, in the chapel of Little & Davenport Funeral Home, 355 Dawsonville Highway, with Pastor Robby Foster officiating. The family will receive friends Sunday, 5:00