Laura "Holly" Graham

Laura (Holly) O'Donnell Graham, 83, (formerly of Greensburg), beloved daughter of the late Laura Wunderly and John J. O'Donnell died at Montgomery Place in Chicago February 27, 2026.

Holly was born in Munhall, Pennsylvania on December 28, 1942. Growing up in the Pittsburgh area, she fondly remembered when she and her sister Mary Grace helped at her father's stationary store. Holly served customers and stocked the shelves while Mary Grace helped in the back office. Those early experiences stayed with her and were part of the way she connected so easily with people throughout her life.

Art was Holly’s passion. Through her mother’s family and their nationally known Wunderly Bros. art gallery, she developed a deep appreciation for creativity. Holly attended Mount Mercy College (now Carlow University) in Pittsburgh, receiving her BA in Art Education. After college, she joined the Lerner Shops clothing stores as a buyer, becoming the first woman executive to have that role.

In the 1980s, Holly moved with Mary Grace to Mount Pleasant to care for their mother who was suffering from dementia. During those years Holly also became a foster parent, raised goats and other animals, and was active in 4-H—creating the kind of lively, welcoming home that became her hallmark.

In the early 1990s, Edward Graham began courting Holly and the two married in 1993, building a life together at Ed’s Kildonan Farm in Crabtree. Holly was not just Ed’s partner in life, but his full partner in the farm. Together they raised cattle, sheep, and countless other animals, including Holly’s cherished shepherd donkeys, Lucky and Louise.

She embraced community life serving on the St. Bartholomew Church parish council and altar society. She will be missed by her beloved "Cowgirls" where friendships were formed while pitching in at Westmoreland Cattlemen’s Association events. Holly saw the world with an artist’s eye. Farm life appeared in her watercolors, drawings, and oil paintings, which became the images on their annual Christmas cards. She was endlessly curious and always learning. Learning to cook Chinese food, making tomato wine, and hosting the legendary 100-person family Easter celebrations, complete with bonnet contests, magicians, and the Easter Bunny.

After Ed’s death in 2017, Holly remained rooted in the community they had built together. In 2023, as her dementia progressed, she moved to Chicago to be near her nieces, Kate Graham and Jennifer Graham.

Holly continued to share her spark and curiosity with the residents and staff at Montgomery Place, where the staff nicknamed her “Jolly Holly” for her good humor and enduring enthusiasm for learning about and being with other people. Holly loved her family, friends and neighbors (she never met a stranger)—her happiest moments were the simplest ones - sitting on her porch, talking with whoever stopped by, and feeding the baby lambs.

Holly is survived by her sister Mary Grace O'Donnell; cousins Virginia Rote, Ginger (Ernie) Richardsen, and Alex Rohrer, Sr; their children Cecilia and Lucas Richardsen and Alex, Jr. and Allyson Rohrer, and a large extended family including nieces and nephews.

Relatives and friends of Holly will be received Sunday, March 8th,  from 1 to 5 p.m. in the Clement L. Pantalone Funeral Home, Inc. 409 W. Pittsburgh Street, Greensburg, PA 15601, (724) 837-0020.

Prayers of transfer will be said in the funeral home Monday at 9:15 a.m., followed by a funeral Mass to be celebrated at 10:00 a.m. in the St. Bartholomew Church with Fr. Justin Matro, OSB, celebrating.

Interment will follow in Calvary Hill Cemetery, Crabtree.

Holly’s family has entrusted her care to the Pantalone Funeral Home Inc., Greensburg. For online condolences / directions, visit us at pantalone.com. Natale N. Pantalone, supervisor.