Elizabeth Ann Gray
March 5, 1927-Sept. 29, 2013
Menlo Park, California
Elizabeth Ann Gray, 86, passed away peacefully and surrounded by family, at her home in Menlo Park on Sept. 29, 2013.
Liz was born on March 5, 1927, in Corsicana, Texas, to the late Brook Edward Davis of Kerens, Texas and Elizabeth (Oldham) Davis of Waxahachie, Texas. A lifelong learner, she graduated from North Dallas High School in 1944, being voted Most Popular and serving as a member of the Jockey Club and of the Olympiads. Liz received her B.A. in English from Southern Methodist University (SMU) in 1949, where she was also a member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority as well as several other social organizations.
Liz married the love and light of her life, the late Gilman Gray, Sr., in 1953, and theirs was a rich and happy union. Their marriage, which she considered one of the greatest blessings of her life, spanned 49 years.
Liz was a devoted, dedicated, proud, and always-interested mother. She is survived by her five sons: Ned Gray, Brook Gray, Gilman Gray, Jr., Timothy Gray and Daniel Gray. Often was the phrase uttered, "Five sons? Your poor mother!" Liz was also a beloved grandmother to Emily Gray, Elizabeth Gray, Brook Gray and Hayden Gray and mother-in-law to Vicki Gray, Patti Gray and Stephanie Gray.
Liz and Gil were always active members in their local churches, from Midway Hills Christian Church in Dallas, Texas to Bethany Christian Church in Odessa, Texas to Central Christian Church in Marshalltown, Iowa to Ladera Community Church, in Portola Valley, California. They taught sunday school, served on outreach and stewardship committees, held service positions, and were always great friends and supporters of all of their pastors. At Ladera Community Church, Liz served for many years on the Nominating/Enlistment Committee, Stewardship Committee, Endowment Committee, Scholarship Committee, Board of Christian Service and Board of Trustees.
Liz was proud of her 29-years of volunteer work as a "Pink Lady" with the Stanford University Medical Center Auxiliary, a non-profit that supports and complements patient care and community service at SUMC. She and Gil were also very active with and supportive of OICW (now JobTrain), an educational and training institution that also offers career counseling and job-placement services to its graduates. Her prolific volunteer work was the natural extension of the primary principal she lived: "When more is given, more is expected."
Liz was a prolific reader, a lover of the written word, and was never more at home than with a good book. She loved to travel, and she and husband Gil traveled much of the world together. She was an avid tennis player (who only recently stopped playing at age 82), piano player, lover of music and dance (quite the jitterbugger). She played bridge and always enjoyed going to the movies. Anyone who knew Liz, however, knew that her true love was the telephone -- where she spent countless hours chatting and checking-in with family, friends and those who she loved and for whom she cared. Liz always wanted to know how you were feeling and how you were doing, to tell you she was thinking of you and that she loved and cared for you.
Liz will be most remembered for her great sense of humor, loving nature, selflessness, energy, charity and positivity. She was a great listener, always easy to laugh and smile, a sincere and devoted wife, mother, mother-in-law, grandmother and friend. And, of course, anyone who knew Liz will never forget her sweet, signature Texas twang -- the quintessence of this Southern Lady. Elizabeth Gray will be missed.
