Graeme Conrad McRae's Obituary
Graeme Conrad McRae, 19, of Carrollton, Texas, passed away suddenly at home on Nov. 23, 2024. Born March 10, 2005, in Dallas, Texas, to Richard McRae and Tagni McRae, Graeme was a beloved son, brother, grandson, nephew and cousin.
He is survived by his parents, Richard McRae and Tagni McRae, his sister Keira McRae, grandmothers Mary Osentowski and Charlotte Wixom, aunts, uncles and cousins and his dogs Ellie and Stormi.
Graeme was diagnosed at age three with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a genetic disease that affects the body’s ability to repair and rebuild muscle. He received outstanding care for 15 years from the neuromuscular team at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. Despite losing his ability to walk as a teenager, Graeme did not let his disease define or limit him.
A gifted musician, Graeme was a singer and played the clarinet and piano. He was in Creekview’s show choir, Legends, in the A Cappella concert choir and proudly served on the choir board. Fellow choir members called him the “human pitch pipe” because he had perfect pitch. He also was a member of the Creekview Wind Symphony and marching band for three years.
Graeme was a Commended Scholar and a member of the National Honor Society and graduated with honors from Creekview High School in 2023. That fall he enrolled in the University of North Texas in Denton, majoring in Biomedical Engineering and recently adding a second major in Mathematics.
During Graeme’s freshman year, he joined the UNT Chorale and during the spring semester was invited to join the Concert Choir. Being a member of UNT’s choir family was a true highlight of his life. Prior to the current school year, he auditioned and won a spot with the prestigious University Singers that performed advanced repertoire and had a robust performance schedule.
In addition to academics and music, Graeme always had a strong sense of right and wrong and disliked deviating from a plan. As a young toddler, he burst into tears whenever his parents made a U-Turn while driving.
He had a wonderfully quirky sense of humor and enjoyed watching Abbott Elementary and Family Guy, musicals and movies. He cherished his independence in college, taking the train to Denton each day for school and navigating public transportation to classes and around Denton’s town square.
Graeme loved being a UNT Eagle, and frequently shared the exploits of the UNT mascot, Scrappy. He supported his sister Keira’s cheer teams, always being the first to ask how her team did in competitions and cheering her victories.
We all are heartbroken by our unfathomable loss but are relieved that Graeme’s earthly struggles have ended. We’re comforted by the fact that he was fully embracing and enjoying life.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, at the Church of the Holy Communion, 17405 Muirfield Dr., Dallas, Texas, 75287 with a reception immediately following. In lieu of flowers, we request donations be made to Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy or the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.
Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy: https://www.parentprojectmd.org/
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital: https://give.cincinnatichildrens.org/site/Donation2?idb=130397109&df_id=1579&mfc_pref=T&1579.donation=form1&idb=0
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