More detail on this person: Dr. Galen Frederick deGraff, beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, teacher, and friend, passed away on July 12, 2025. Born July 21, 1944 on Eastern Long Island to Esther Penny Boutcher and Henry Lewis DeGraff, Galen lead an extraordinary life which he lived to the fullest. He served as a combat assault helicopter pilot arriving in Vietnam just as the Tet Offensive had begun. After his tour in Vietnam, he taught instrument flying at Fort Rucker, earning the award for Outstanding Flight Instructor out of 1500 fellow instructors. Upon returning to civilian life, he completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Commerce at the University of Virginia where he met his wife, Amy Vanderlyn. Their 54-year marriage included a magical honeymoon trip touring Europe for 4 months on a BMW motorcycle. Upon return from Europe, Galen pursued an MBA at the UVA's Darden School of Business. He held several executive positions in private Industry, before returning to graduate school to pursue a Doctor of Philosophy in Strategic Management and International Business. He was selected for the "Distinguished Doctoral Student Award." After earning his Ph.D., he taught Business Strategy and Finance at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg Virginia. His career in teaching was deeply fulfilling. Galen was a dynamic, inspiring, caring and much-loved professor which led to the establishment of a scholarship in his honor and the creation of a tiered classroom named after him. He retired from the University of Mary Washington in 2015 as Emeritus Professor of Business. Galen balanced his academic life with traveling in Europe during summers with his wife and daughter, driving his highly prized R90S motorcycle, fly fishing, and shooting sporting clays with fine shotguns bought after extensive research. He is survived by his devoted and beloved wife, Amy Vanderlyn deGraff, his loving daughter, Gislaine Penny Vanderlyn deGraff Moore, his son in law, Zackry Benjamin Moore, his granddaughter, Aubree Louisa Moore whom he called his "little princess", his grandson, Bo Frederick Moore whom he called his "little prince", his two wonderful brothers, Geoffrey Furguson DeGraff and Giles Penny DeGraff, and best friend of 58 years, Joseph Harbison. For all of us, he will forever be irreplaceable in our lives. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to support the Galen F. deGraff Scholarship in Business at the University of Mary Washington. To make a donation to Galen's scholarship, please visit umw.edu/gift and include Galen's name in the "in memory" field. To give by mail, please make checks payable to the UMW Foundation, noting that your gift is for the Galen deGraff Scholarship, and mail to UMW Office of Advancement, 119 Hanover St., Fredericksburg VA, 22401. Contact the Office of Advancement at 540-654-1024 to make a gift by phone.
This information was last updated 10/22/2025
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Date posted on this site: 02/07/2026
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