Mary E. Gray

Mary Elizabeth Sanders Gray, 49, went home to be with her Savior Wednesday, March 20, 2013, in Jacksonville, FL. After a courageous battle with uterine cancer, she passed away at Northeast Florida Community Hospice. Her husband and family wish to express thanks to all who prayed for and supported them during this time. She was born in Jacksonville, October 22, 1963. She graduated from Robert E. Lee High School in 1981, where she was a member of the Cross Country Running Team. She studied at Florida State University and Florida Community College of Jacksonville. She went on to a career with Aetna insurance company, first in Boston, MA, and later in Jacksonville. She married the love of her life, Courtney Craig (Chap) Gray, in 1998. She loved and trusted Jesus, and was a member of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church. She had a prodigious memory, especially concerning details of relationships with family and friends, and her family history. Her lifelong passions were interior decorating and antiques, and she had a deep love for her family’s summer home, Nacoochee Homeplace, Nacoochee Valley, GA. She demonstrated great strength and quiet grace throughout her ordeal. She is survived by her husband, Chap; her father, Wilton Robert Sanders; her sister, Helen McKay Sanders, Seattle; maternal aunt, Mary Williams Vensel; maternal uncle, Samuel Goode Williams, Jr., and his wife Barbara Buckman Williams, Sautee-Nacoochee, GA. She was preceded in death by her mother, Helen Olivia Williams Sanders. A memorial service will be held Wednesday, March 27, 2013, 2pm at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 4129 Oxford Avenue, Jacksonville, FL 32210, with a reception following. She had a special place in her heart for Divine Mercy House, a ministry of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, 11730 Old St. Augustine Road, Jacksonville, FL 32258, and would have appreciated donations made in her memory.

Arrangements entrusted to: Hardage-Giddens Funeral Home 729 S. Edgewood Ave, Jacksonville

Messages of sympathy may be left at www.hardage-giddensedgewood.com