Jacqueline started life as one of six children on Bastille Day in the small village of Chanizieux, France, near Lyon.  At 12, she remembered stealing turnips from a farmer's field to keep starvation at bay during WWII. She never ate them again.

The family was poor and Jacqueline longed to move to the United States, "the land of opportunity".  After learning English in Great Britain as an au pair, she returned to France and married an American.  She immigrated in 1959, bringing her eight-year-old daughter with her.  In 1963, she married Paul V. Graybill, Jr., a young, confirmed bachelor and Air Force fighter pilot.  They were married for 57 years.

Paul started out as a Hoosier from Indiana.  Early on, he joined the navy.  At the inception of the Army Air Corp, he became an officer and fighter pilot after obtaining his private pilot license.  He loved to fly.  He served two tours of duty in Vietnam; once as a reconnaissance pilot, and ultimately as a fighter pilot.  Among his many medals, he received the silver star by providing air cover to men on the ground; saving many lives at the risk of his own.  Upon his return from war, he spent a few years in Germany as an air liaison officer for the 8th Army Division.  Afterwards, he was stationed at Vandenberg AFB at Lompoc, California, before retiring to Bradenton, Florida.

In Florida, Jacqueline and Paul embarked on the remodel of an older house situated on a canal near the Intercoastal Waterway.  There they spent many years enjoying water sports such as waterskiing and crab fishing on their various boats.  Jacqueline became so proficient that she eventually was able to do barefoot skiing.

Because it had always been looked down upon for an officer's wife to work outside the home in those days, Jacqueline waited until retirement before volunteering and then working as a nurse's assistant at the local hospital.  She loved to help those in need.

Meanwhile, even though he retired 100 % disabled from the USAF, Paul decided to try his hand at crop-dusting.  His last flying job entailed ferrying researchers for Mote Marine Laboratory of Sarasota, Florida, who were doing aerial manatee surveys.

Finally, after a particular devastating hurricane damaged many of the homes in their neighborhood, they returned to Lompoc to continue their retirement.  Paul had been driving motorcycles since the age of fourteen; at one time even owning an "Indian" Harley.  Once in Lompoc, they both became more avid bikers.  Jacqueline started out as a passenger.  She had even ridden in a sidecar in Florida.  Eventually, she got her own motorcycle license to become a more active participant alongside Paul.  Jacqueline's last bike was a three-wheeled Honda Gold Wing that they had especially built for her.  Their red-haired poodle, Rusty was often seen ridding behind his "mom" in specially outfitted gear, including a "doggy-helmet" and goggles.

Jacqueline and Rusty became local celebrities when their picture and article were featured in the Lompoc Record on August 2nd, 2011.  To see their adorable picture together, just go to "LompocRecord.com" and type in "Jacqueline Graybill"...So cute!

However, Paul was not one to shirk from the excitement that speed was able to give him.  He was the original owner of the baby-blue split rear window 1963 Corvette Sting Ray driven by Jerry Seinfeld and President Obama while they were doing the "Comedians in cars getting coffee" video.  That video can still be seen on YouTube.  Jacqueline and Paul's daughter can easily remember being curled up in the back like a pretzel at the age of 12 in order to drive to the beach from Seymour Johnson AFB in Goldsboro, North Carolina, where Paul flew F-105 jets.  One of Paul's last motorcycles was an apple-red Honda Gold Wing; but at the same time, he also rode a soupped-up Kawasaki 900 just for "kicks".  They both rode motorcycles well into their late 70's, even if it was just to go to Vandenburg AFB to do their errands.

Their health finally caught up to them.  At 84 years old, Jacqueline had to enter into Fountain Square of Lompoc's memory-care unit.  Soon after, Paul went into the more independent assisted-living unit.  Rusty, their beloved "puppy", went to live with their daughter, Evelyne Gentry, and son-in-law, Vernon Dean Gentry, of Atwater, California.  Ironically, Rusty passed away just a month and a half before his "daddy" at the age of 15.

Jacqueline and Paul will soon share their final resting place at San Joaquin National Cemetery. They suffered lamentable deaths after a lifetime of meaningful contributions. May they find blessed eternal peace. You will be missed and loved forever.