Mary Ann Graham Warwick  March 6, 1943 - September 23, 2024

Mary Ann Graham Warwick passed away peacefully with family close by at the Lower Cape Fear LifeCare Hospice Care Center.   She was 81.

The youngest of four children, she was born in Sanford, North Carolina to Henry and Verna Graham.  Always the adventurer, she moved to Carolina Beach for the summer when she was 20 years old and met her future husband, Milton Warwick.  They married in 1964 and welcomed a daughter, Norma, in 1965.

Wife, mother, sister, aunt, nana, neighbor, and friend to many, Mary Ann was always smiling and laughing.  Those who knew her would describe her as positive, loving, upbeat, vivacious, funny, inspirational, loyal, and fiercely protective.  She was all of those things and more.  She was also a survivor. 

She survived a collapsed lung, ovarian cancer, and breast cancer.  She also loved to prove doctors wrong.   When she was told she would always have a limp after getting chucks of glass in her knee, she was determined to prove her doctor wrong.  Using a doorknob as her partner she danced her limp away.  It was painful, but she persevered.  When she was given 10 years to live with her COPD diagnosis, she survived 20 years more before succumbing to her disease. 

She loved hot dogs.  When she returned home after a successful breast cancer surgery, it was hot dogs from Hardee’s that she wanted as her celebration dinner.  She was also a fan of Little Debi’s Honey Buns, or “cookies” as she’d call them.  Every evening, she’d enjoy one of her cookies.  And there was always a bowl with sweets, things like Hersey Kisses, soft candies, if she had her way, 3 Musketeers and Milky Way candy bars.  Of course there were the recipes she had to try.  She loved making new things and experimenting.  Over the years, she transitioned from someone who could not cook to a woman who was very capable in the kitchen.  She made and jarred things like vegetables, salsas, and jams.  She was always on the lookout for a new recipe to try.  If you came to her home, she was the perfect hostess with coffee, sweet tea, and something sweet to eat.

She loved to dance, surf fish, play games, read, and keep in touch with friends through Facebook.  She enjoyed watching sports on tv and in person.  She went to her daughter’s events, whether it was a concert or a sporting event.  Her voice could be heard cheering by everyone.   At the tender age of 42, she played softball for the first time.  She would play for three summers at Fort Fisher and Carolina Beach.

She had a green thumb.  Whether it was planting vegetables in the garden or planting trees, scrubs, and flowers to add beauty to the yard, she was all in.  Later in life, her love of plants was limited to potting, but under her care, plants thrived.

And finally, she was the person who would remember birthdays and anniversaries.  Not only did she remember, but she would send a card to recognize the occasion.  Sent with love, these cards would often include her brand of original artwork in the form of a flower or sailboat.

Mary Ann is survived by her husband, Milton Warwick; daughter, Norma Warwick (wife Krista Bailey); her sister, Norma Lou Graham McCorquodale (husband Willie;) and her brother, Henry W Graham;  as well as several nieces and nephews.   She was  preceded in death by her parents, brother Daniel Alexander Graham and his wife Marianne.

Family and friends are invited to "Celebrate Mary Ann's Life " by sharing favorite memories of her on November 16,2024 from 2:00 PM-4:00 PM at the Fort Fisher State Historic Site, Ocean Grove, across from the Fort Fisher Historical Museum, 1610 Fort Fisher Blvd S, Kure Beach, N.C. 28449. 

She will be missed by all who knew her.

https://www.atlanticcremation.com/obituary/mary-warwick