Gwen Grayson

Gwen Rogers Grayson, 87, of Atlanta, GA passed to her peaceful rest on September 8, 2014. Eugindell Rogers was born in Glennville, GA on November 26, 1926, the third of five children of Johnnie Harlton Rogers and Eva Holland Rogers. Gwen leaves to cherish her memories a host of loving, devoted relatives and dear friends. She is pre-deceased by her parents and husband, Walter Murry Grayson, Sr. Gwen is survived by her precious sisters and brother, Vera McConnell of North Port, FL; Vonnell Burke and Faye Allen of The Villages, FL, and Jerry Rogers of Jasper, GA (Nancy); beloved son and daughter-in-law, Dr. Walter Murry Grayson, Jr. and Barbara Simpson Grayson; beloved daughter, Pamela Nell Grayson Tice; special grandson, Alan Murry Tice (and “grand-dog”, Keta); and many well-loved nieces, nephews, and great nieces and nephews.

Gwen and her 3 sisters and brother were very close, shared many wonderful times growing up in Glennville, and continue to share those special bonds. Jerry, Faye, Nell and Vera were a source of great strength and support to each other and to Gwen during her illness. After losing their father too early, Gwen pitched in to help her mother and siblings doing housekeeping and cooking at home as well as working at Southern Bell Telephone. A true lover of books, reading and school, Gwen graduated from Glennville High School where she formed strong life-long bonds with her classmates and dear friends. At age 21, she became the beautiful bride of her handsome, loving husband of 43 years, Walter Murry Grayson, at Bull Street Baptist Church in Savannah on January 3, 1948. Gwen and Murry lived happily in Savannah, Macon, Decatur, Atlanta and Roswell as Murry pursued a rewarding and successful career in drywall and building supplies sales. They were blessed with a son and daughter. Family was paramount in Gwen’s life and her greatest joy was being mother to Walter and Pamela, and especially being grandmother to “My Sweetheart”, Alan. Her heart and mothering spirit were even grand enough to encompass one very lucky daughter-in-law.

After focusing on mothering her children through high school, Gwen returned to the workforce to give her family more opportunities, like college and dental school. She worked as a bookkeeper at Zachary’s and loved to tell stories about the goings-on in the retail world and being escorted through Lenox Mall with daily deposits of $10,000 or more. Once the children were educated, Gwen was fortunate enough to retire and be very involved in her grandson’s life, especially during his formative years. Her greatest pride and joy was to see Alan grow into a responsible, caring, and college-educated young man by completing his Bachelor’s Degree from Mercer University.

Gwen was kind, loyal and generous with a strong fighting spirit and encouraging nature. She enjoyed church and singing hymns and became a member of Decatur First United Methodist Church. Gwen was as honest as George or Abe, but could spin a crafty tale with the wink of an eye, if the situation warranted. She was so skilled at “the interview”, she could ask you enough questions in 5 minutes to get your life story, and would remember it the next time you met! As a member of The Greatest Generation, she made sacrifices for her family, was a fierce fighter in the face of adversity, and lived with grace, strength and dignity all of her life. She lived by and embodied the values of duty, honor, economy, courage, service, love of family and country, and, above all, responsibility for oneself. Like any good soldier, she triumphantly endured a barrage of rounds of chemo to fight back cancer in order to spend time with her family.

Gwen was well-read and stayed abreast of all the latest developments in the world of news, entertainment and politics. Even when she was not feeling as well, she managed to read the AJC from cover to cover, and was especially drawn to the rich, varied tapestries in the life stories found in the Metro section. She was occasionally known to find some entertainment value in the tabloids and enjoyed a good Southern tale, Architectural Digest, and other elegant home magazines. Gwen and her sisters shared a special flare for decorating and loved beautiful things and placing furniture and accessories just right. You knew all was well if you came home one day and things were slightly different, but definitely looked more glamorous than when you left them.

In addition to being around her family, some of the things Gwen loved were listening to Billy Graham and Joel Osteen; watching UGA and Falcons football; following stories on CNN, AC360, 60 Minutes, Barbara Walters or Nancy Grace; shopping at any kind of antique or home goods store; and enjoying a trip to The Varsity for Friday night chili dogs eaten in the car (or Rhea’s or McD’s burgers). She loved collecting cookbooks and was a wonderful cook who learned from the best, her sweet mother, “Big Mom”. Some of the most precious family times were her memorable Sunday family dinners complete with fried chicken and potato salad, the hearty meals after a day at the swimming pool or beach, the picnics at the Florida State line, or the yummy side dishes to accompany Murry’s legendary grilled chicken or steak, or served at Big Mom’s and Newell’s fish fry extravaganza in Savannah or Blue Ridge.

The family wishes to express sincere gratitude for all the wonderful care lovingly given by Gwen’s doctors, nurses, caretakers and family during her life and her later fight with ovarian cancer, with special thanks to: Hetal and family, Teresa, Don, Rebecca, Alicia’s R & E, Lisa, Demiko, Shirley, Dr. Stubbs and Dr. DiFulco, plus all the other brilliant doctors too numerous to name, as well as all of the outstanding staff and volunteers at DMC ICU, Kann and Cancer Centers, AWCC, GCS, and the 2600 step-down and 4200 oncology units.

The Celebration of Life for Gwen Grayson will be held Saturday, October 4 at 1:00pm at the chapel at Floral Hills Funeral Home, 3150 Lawrenceville Hwy, Tucker, GA 30084 (770-491-3021). The family will gather with visitors from noon until 1:00pm and a private family inurnment at Arlington Memorial Park, Sandy Springs, will follow the service.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests you please give the gift of life-saving blood to the American Red Cross or DeKalb Medical Center, and donations made payable to DeKalb Medical Foundation directing funds in memory of Gwen R. Grayson to “The Cancer Center” on the memo line or online at https://dekalbmedicalfoundation.thankyou4caring.org. DeKalb Medical Foundation, 2701 North Decatur Road, Decatur, GA 30033 (404.501.5956)

You are our inspiration and the toughest woman we know and will be dearly missed by all who know you. Rest in Peace, Our Sweet Love.