Judy Gray, 79, of Edmond, OK went to be with the Lord on September 7th, 2020 at Integris Health in Edmond, Oklahoma.
In order to accommodate social distancing, several events to honor Judy's life are planned. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, and at the family's request, masks and social distancing are required at the churches, funeral home, and cemetery. All services will be available by live streaming and can be viewed at www.grayfuneral.com under Judy's event information. The family wishes you to honor Judy’s memory using whichever means of attendance is right for you.
A Celebration of Life service will be held on Thursday, September 17th, 2020 at 5:30 PM at the First United Methodist Church in Edmond, Oklahoma, with Rev. Dr. Samuel T. Powers, Senior Pastor, along with Michael Redden, Judy's cousin, officiating. A viewing from 5 PM until service time will be held at the church.
A viewing will be held from 9 AM until 7 PM on Friday, September 18th at Lawton Ritter Gray Funeral Home Chapel in Lawton, Oklahoma. A viewing will also be held at the First United Methodist Church in Grandfield, Oklahoma from 10 AM until noon on Saturday, September 19th, and a Graveside Service will be held at 2 PM at the Grandfield Memorial Cemetery under the direction of Gray Funeral Home, with Jim Antwine officiating.
Judy was born on March 29, 1941, one of three daughters to Loyd William and Beatrice Ruth (Hicks) Hasenmyer in Frederick, Oklahoma. She grew up in Grandfield and attended school there, graduating as Salutatorian from Grandfield High School in 1959. She was active in Glee Club and the Bearcat Band. She attended the University of Oklahoma and was a member of the Alpha Delta Pi Sorority. She also attended Cameron University in Lawton.
Judy was united in marriage to her high school sweetheart Gary Lynn Gray on February 14, 1960, in Grandfield. Judy and Gary moved to Dallas, Texas in 1961 and lived there until Gary became a licensed funeral director in 1962. Gary graduated from the Dallas Institute of Mortuary Science and on December 31, 1963, they bought the Mohr Funeral Home in Grandfield and renamed it Gray Funeral Home. The Grays lived in Grandfield from 1963 until 1977 when they moved to Frederick, Oklahoma and purchased the Dalton McClellan Funeral Home. The Grays moved to Lawton in 1983 and purchased the Lawton Ritter Gray Funeral Home. In 1994, the Grays purchased the Gish Funeral Home in Frederick.
Gary and Judy along with their children, Kara and Kris, operated Gray Funeral Home in Grandfield, Lawton Ritter Gray Funeral Home, Southwest Cremation Service, and Sunset Memorial Gardens in Lawton until their retirement in 2012. They moved to the Oklahoma City area in 2013.
In addition to operating their round-the-clock businesses, Gary and Judy were always active in farming. The land they've farmed for 50 years near Grandfield has been farmed by Judy’s family for five generations. Originally owned by Samuel Hasenmyer, Judy’s grandfather, the land is now farmed by their son and daughter-in-law, William and Jimma Gray, and most recently their grandson, Jonathan Gray. Gary and Judy have always enjoyed farming and their family’s continued involvement is a great source of pride for them both.
Judy was an officer of Chapter EF, P.E.O. in Grandfield. She was also a past member of P.E.O., Chapter CE in Frederick and Chapter BY in Lawton. She was a Sunday school teacher at the First United Methodist Church in Grandfield. She was a member of the First United Methodist churches in Grandfield, Frederick, Lawton, and Edmond. She was also a former member of Knife and Fork Club and had served as treasurer of the Lawton Book & Play Review Club.
In addition to spending time with her children and grandchildren, Judy loved to travel in the motor home with her husband and visited most of the fifty continental United States as well as Canada and Alaska. She enjoyed reading, watching OU Football, cooking for her family and entertaining large gatherings of family and friends in her home, especially during the holidays.
Judy was gifted with a gentle kindness that she freely shared with others. Her spirit of service is a legacy that lives on not only in her family, but in numerous others she regarded as family.
Judy is survived by the love of her life, her husband of 60 years, Gary of the home; children: William and Jimma Gray, Kara and Marty Ludlum, Rebekah and Rick Dowdy, Kris and Ben Gray-Adams, and Laurie and Shane Hume; grandchildren: Jennifer, Jacob, Josh, Lauren, Brandon, Shawn, Jade, Landon, Bailey, Justin, Josh, Chloe, Jonathan, Grayson, Harvey, and Clara; brother-in-law, Jimmy Miracle; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Reba Gray, Wesley & Glenda Gray, Howard and Barbara Gray, Harold Gray and Charlsa Gray, great grandchildren, Hala, Haven, Riley, Linden, and Tommy; special family members, Christina Anderson, Katrina and George Denton, life-long friends, Sue and Hugh Coats; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her baby Trudy Charlanne, three sisters: Charla Miracle, Nancy Redden Cobb, and Suzanne Taylor, and numerous sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, and friends.
Memorial donations can be made to Grandfield United Methodist Church, PO Box 370, Grandfield, OK 73546, Grandfield Memorial Cemetery, 223 Main Street, Grandfield, OK 73546, or to the New Horizons Ranch & Center, Inc. - a non-profit agency serving children & youth traumatized by abuse and neglect - www.newhorizons.com (325) 438-1852.