Obituary of Elizabeth B. Gray

Elizabeth B. Gray, beloved mother, grandmother, and great grandmother passed away peacefully on Friday, December 23, 2022. Born in Wolverhampton, England on February 25, 1935, she was one of two children of Victoria Joyce and Richard Spencer Thomas, and grew up attending the Hunmanby Hall boarding school, where she was “Head Girl”.

From 1953 to 1957, Elizabeth attended Bryn Mawr, an all-girl college in Philadelphia, where she earned her BA degree in English and French.  While at Bryn Mawr, Elizabeth was set up on a blind date with her future husband, Wes Gray, and they were happily married on April 19, 1958 in Wolverhampton, England.

Once married, Elizabeth settled into life in the United States, raising her three children, Susan Elizabeth, James Wesley, III, and Joyce Eleanor.  After living for a short time in Syracuse, New York and Wayne, Pennsylvania, Elizabeth and Wes settled in Darnestown, MD where they were active members of Christ Episcopal Church in Rockville, and founding members of the Darnestown Swim and Racquet Club.

From 1974 to 1997, Elizabeth worked in the capital budget office of the Montgomery County Public School System.  After retirement, Elizabeth enjoyed the snowbird life with her husband, traveling between Grasonville and Ocean City Maryland, where she enjoyed the sunrise from her balcony, and Stoneybrook Golf & Country Club in Sarasota FL, where she was an active member of the community.  Within Stoneybrook, Elizabeth was active on the Stoneybrook Board of Directors and the Architectural Committee, in addition to participating in bridge, tennis, and golf groups, Trivia Night, and keeping abreast of neighborhood news by editing the “Current” newsletter.

As a resident of Sarasota, Elizabeth enjoyed the Sarasota Opera, the Asolo Repertory Theatre, and the SILLS Lecture Series, among other cultural events. Elizabeth also loved traveling with her husband, Wes, making new friends on cruise ships and sharing vacations with friends and family throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia.

Elizabeth is predeceased by her husband of 62 years, J. Wesley Gray, Jr.  Left to cherish her memory are her children Susan Elizabeth (Gray) Lockhoff and her husband, Robert of Woodbine MD, James Wesley Gray III and his wife Miki of Mountain View, CA and Joyce Eleanor (Gray) Cmiel and her husband Craig of Charlotte, NC; grandchildren Ridley Gray, Kathryn Evans and her husband Sean, James Wesley Gray IV and his wife Jarvyk, Jonathan Lockhoff, Abigail Cmiel, Dennis Cmiel, Lauren Cmiel and Kazunori Orthner; great grandchildren Jaylene Gray and James Wesley Gray V.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, January 7, 2023 at 2:30pm. You can view the service at www.bonifacechurch.org.

In lieu of flowers, in honor of her love of music, memorial donations can be made to the Friends of Music Fund at St. Boniface Episcopal church or to the Sarasota Opera Association, Inc.