As the popular saying goes, “A house is made of bricks and beams; a home is made of love and dreams.” It takes a special heart to make a lifeless structure into a thriving home. Anything from a studio apartment to a mansion can feel cold and empty without the right spirit or touch to give it life. One special woman made not only her houses feel like warm homes, but the feeling of home seemed to follow her wherever she went. Mrs. Josephine Burris Graham, or “Jo” to her loved ones, created, inspired, and embodied home for so many people. Her life blessed and impacted her loved ones and all those who were fortunate to meet her.
On Friday, April 10, 1931 in Beaumont, Texas, the home of Harry and Josephine Burkhart grew brighter as they welcomed their new daughter into the world. Her twinkling brown eyes and joyful laugh warmed the household as she played with her two other sisters. Soon thereafter, the Burkhart family moved to Ballinger in West Texas. Josephine grew up making happy memories and moments in the small town. Throughout her childhood and adolescence, Josephine’s mother kept her three daughters in line. She grew up in a conservative Baptist home which of course meant no drinking or dancing for the Burkhart daughters. Although rules could be a little strict, Josephine grew up in a loving home and became very close with her sisters, Cynthia and Harriet. The love Josephine experienced in her childhood home became the building blocks for the day she would start her own home and family.
Oliver Wendell Holmes once stated that, “Where we love is home-home where our feet may leave, but not our hearts.” Josephine eventually graduated from Ballinger High School, and then moved to Denton, Texas to study at Texas State College for Women. Although she left her hometown of Ballinger, she didn’t realize that she was on her way to creating a new home full of loving hearts. It was in Denton, Texas that miracles happened and stars aligned. During her first week of college, Josephine sat with a friend in a pew in the back of a church. Little did she know that just a few seats in front of her sat a North Texas State University student, C.R. Graham, who was her soulmate and future husband. C.R. describes that he saw a beautiful woman with big brown eyes and soft brown hair and just knew she was the one. With a little convincing and sweet-talking, C.R. won a date with Ms. Josephine. The couple dated on and off for 3 years. On her 20th birthday in 1951, C.R. got down on his knee and proposed to Josephine Burkhart. “I have nothing to give you but me,” C.R. proclaimed as Josephine lovingly accepted his proposal but no date was set. When C.R. graduated from N.T.S.U, he moved down to Cleburne, Texas to work for the daily newspaper, but his distance did not stop the two from seeing each other. C.R. worked quickly to afford a car to drive up to Denton weekly to see his love. After a while of doing this, Josephine looked at him one day and said, “We need to get married and stop all of this.” Needless to say, C.R. joyfully agreed. Eight months and thirteen days after his proposal, on Sunday, December 23, 1951, family and friends gathered at the Little Chapel in the Woods on the T.S.C.W. campus. Inside the chapel, red poinsettias lined the aisle and decorated the altar. C.R. and the congregation stood in awe as Josephine walked in, full of splendor, holding a bouquet of white poinsettias. Josephine gracefully joined her fiancé at the front of the beautiful, historic chapel and with love, joy, and hopefulness, became man and wife.
C.R. and Josephine Graham were indeed a love match made in heaven. They spent the first few months of marriage happily as Josephine finished her last semester at T.S.C.W. and graduated with a Bachelor of Business degree in Home Economics. They soon after moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico where Josephine began a passion for teaching. Two or three years later, C.R. and Josephine moved back to Texas where in 1954, Josephine began teaching Pre-Kindergarten. Eventually C.R. and Josephine moved again, but this time to Maryland. In 1969, Josephine took up the position of Director at a Lutheran Pre-Kindergarten School in Aspen Hill, Maryland. They spent a while in Maryland and called it home for a time, but they ultimately moved back to Texas-this time for good. Josephine took her love of homemaking and applied it to her new job as a home economics teacher at a junior high school in McKinney, Texas. She taught students the fundamentals of creating and sustaining a home. Combining her two passions in life, teaching and home economics, gave Josephine joy and happiness. Through the school, she became involved with Future Homemakers of America, which she would continue to stay active with for years. Over all, she taught home economics for over ten years. When she was in her fifties, Josephine left teaching and became an independent interior decorator for the McKinney and Plano area of North Texas. Over the next fifteen years, Josephine collected a pool of loyal and loving clients who were thrilled with her work. She became well respected within the North Texas interior design industry with her professional attitude and business-like mindset. Creating beautiful and inviting living spaces for her clients made Josephine’s job blissful and meaningful. However, after working hard for about 50 years, Josephine decided to retire in 2000 to enjoy her family and the world.
Although working was a passion for Josephine, she enjoyed many of life’s wonderful treasures. C.R. and Josephine became members of the Church of Holy Communion in Dallas, Texas and went to services faithfully. They also became members of the Dallas Corinthian Yacht Club when Josephine received an award for service from them. C.R. and Josephine enjoyed sailing across Lake Lewisville through the club and spent many hours upon their sailboat. Josephine was a lover of classical music and art. She owned a black Baby Grand piano that she took with her in every single move and played in every new home. Josephine sometimes sat at the keys of the piano during different hours of the day and play beautiful melodies that would float throughout the house. C.R. and Josephine often visited the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and for many years were season ticket holders with their own special seats. They would make a night of listening to compositions and sonatas as they held each other’s hand and lost themselves in the music. In addition to classical music, Josephine relished looking at and observing art. Once she went on a trip to Europe with two friends who just happened to be art teachers. They spent a month wandering through art galleries, chapels, and historic buildings to witness and behold splendid works of paint, oil, pencil, and talent. However, her traveling did not end with the single trip. Josephine loved traveling and went on adventures often. She took another trip to Europe to see her daughter while she studied in Germany. She enjoyed spending time with her daughter and sharing that special trip with her. C.R. and Josephine took a trip down to the Caribbean and stayed there for a while to soak up the sun, sand, and waves. They had an incredible time and reminisced about it for years afterwards. Along with traveling internationally, Josephine traveled all across the United States. Each trip, no matter how near or far, was an adventure for Josephine and a new chance to create stories and memories. Nonetheless, each trip could not match the joys of being home for Josephine.
Perhaps one of Josephine’s grandest passions was creating a home for her family. With each move, C.R. and Josephine bought larger homes so that Josephine could have more room to decorate. It seemed that each house was more splendidly beautiful than the last. When it came time to move again, Josephine’s houses would always sell quickly due to her talented touchups

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