Last of founding board members of EWTN, Richard DeGraff, dies at 94 

Richard DeGraff (at left, next to Mother Angelica in early 1981, and at right) played a key role in getting EWTN off the ground. / Credit: Photos courtesy of the DeGraff family

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 5, 2024 / 18:28 pm (CNA).

Richard DeGraff, a founding board member at EWTN who was instrumental in helping Mother Angelica launch the network in 1981, passed away on July 31 at age 94.  

DeGraff met Mother Angelica in 1980 while working for the Family Rosary in Wisconsin. It was DeGraff who connected Mother Angelica, at the time seeking funding to purchase EWTN’s first satellite dish, to the De Rance Foundation, a Catholic philanthropic organization that provided crucial early support for the acquisition. 

During those critical moments when EWTN was being birthed as well as for decades to come, DeGraff played a key role in getting the first Catholic satellite television network off the ground and keeping it going.

His pioneering and providential work with Mother Angelica is chronicled in the biography of EWTN’s foundress, “Mother Angelica: The Remarkable Story of a Nun, Her Nerve, and a Network of Miracles.”

Prior to his work with EWTN, various philanthropic foundations, and charities, DeGraff had an illustrious career in higher education. In the 1970s, he served as president of Thomas More College in Kentucky. He previously held both academic and development posts at Benedictine University, Saint Mary’s College, Tri-State College, DePaul University, and the University of Chicago. 

Before serving in the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division during the Korean War, DeGraff graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a degree in music. While a student there, he performed on “The Ed Sullivan Show” several times as part of the Notre Dame Glee Club. 

Following the war, DeGraff earned his master’s and doctorate degrees in education at Indiana University. He also later worked as assistant to the chairman of the Grace Corporation as well as executive director of the De Rance and Koch Foundations. 

In addition, he served on the board of Catholic Charities in Chicago and was involved with the Serra Club, an organization that works to foster religious vocations.

DeGraff was a member of the Knights of Columbus and was preceded in death by his wife of 64 years, Gerry. He is survived by four children, 12 grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren.