Diana L. "Lani" Graham

Celebrating the Life of Diana Leilani “Lani” (Ferris) Graham

On August 13, 2025, our beloved Lani left this world as gracefully as she lived in it — holding both of her daughters’ hands in her new home in Corvallis, Montana, just three weeks after learning she had brain tumors. She was 81 years young in spirit, still vibrant, adventurous, and full of love until the very end.

Born July 11, 1944, in Baltimore, Maryland, to band leader Donald Leroy Ferris and Johns Hopkins Patient Representative Rose (Matthews) Ferris, Lani grew up with a dancer’s grace and an athlete’s determination. She could pirouette across a ballet studio at the Johns Hopkins Peabody Institute just as easily as she could win a tennis or badminton match (and often did). She earned her degree in Physical Education from the University of Maryland, where she lettered in tennis and badminton — a hint of the energy and drive that would carry her through life.

Her life’s journey was rich and she took on many roles, successfully simultaneously — teacher, student, athlete, military wife, mother, dancer, volunteer, world traveler, and friend. She earned two master’s degrees while raising a family and supporting her husband, U.S. Air Force Colonel James R. “Jim” Graham, through a career that took them around the globe, as far away as Germany, where Lani was proud to learn the German language. In 1985, they settled in northern Virginia to be close to her Maryland family and retired in 2002 to the high desert mountain town of Durango, Colorado. Throughout her life, she consistently welcomed international guests into her home, tended gardens and plants, danced, and moved with surprising stealth around a ping pong table! She was always a steady connector in her community — bringing people together, lending a hand where it was needed, and always finding beauty in the everyday. 

In the years after Jim’s 2004 death, Lani wove together a life rich with friendship, adventure, and new possibilities. She hosted folk dancers and musicians, fostered kittens and puppies, enjoyed the outdoors, and kept dancing at every opportunity. She gave herself fully to her community, volunteering for organizations like the Danish American Exchange, Cancer Support Community Southwest Colorado, Seniors Outdoors, Durango Community Folk Dance, La Plata County Humane Society, and Cat Care of Durango. She didn’t just “volunteer” — she became “part of the heart” of these organizations.

Those who knew Lani will remember the way she could light up a room without trying — whether it was on the dance floor or sitting around the kitchen table with a cup of tea. She was the kind of friend who showed up when you needed her and listened without judgment. She approached life with quiet determination and curiosity, saying yes to new experiences — like her recent July birthday fishing adventure in Alaska! 

She is survived by her daughters, Jennie Graham Dean and Wendy Graham Settle (Wayne Settle 1971 - 2019), her son-in-law, Tony Dean, her grandchildren Breahna and Ryleigh Dean, and siblings, Don, Faith and Ken Ferris. She sadly lost her half-brother, Harry Sibley, in 2019. Her spirit shines bright in the many lives she touched around the world - friends, dance family, and foster animals.In her honor, Lani requested donations to Cancer Support Community (formerly Blueprints of Hope), LaPlata County Humane Society (please specify Foster Program), and Cat Care of Durango.

A celebration of life will be planned at a future date.