Judith Miram Gray's Obituary
Judith Miram Gray, age 77, passed away Tuesday, January 29th in St. Louis, Missouri. She was born May 12, 1941, in Clarksville, Arkansas, to Dennis Francis and Robbie Kilcrease Mills. She grew up in North Little Rock and graduated from North Little Rock High in 1959, where she received the Betty Crocker Homemaker of the Year award as a senior despite her creative party menu design of pretzels and beer on the assigned budget of 35 cents per guest. Judith attended Arkansas Tech University where she met and in 1961, married R. L. Gray with whom she enjoyed 57 years of love, laughter and partnership. Judith received a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Arkansas Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences followed by a Juris Doctorate from the University of Arkansas School of Law in Fayetteville.
She loved animals, children, Shakespeare, classical music, her children’s and grandchildren’s live school performances, and travel. Judith was an avid supporter at family members’ sporting and school events, and a world-class mother, grandmother, and aunt. She was an active and committed lifelong Democrat and a generous donor to causes supporting the rights of women, children, and animals.
Judith leaves behind her husband, R. L. Gray of Fayetteville, Arkansas, two children, Courtney Gray Beyersdorfer of St. Louis, Missouri, and Gary Mills Gray (Deann) of Huntsville, Arkansas, six grandchildren, Maranda Spangler (Todd) of Stockton, Missouri, Hayes Beyersdorfer, of Los Angeles, California, Dylan Gray of Fayetteville, Arkansas, Spencer Beyersdorfer of Chicago, Illinois, Anne Eliot Gray of Fayetteville, Arkansas, Wynne Beyersdorfer of St. Louis, Missouri, four great-grandchildren, and two sisters, Bettye Balmaz of Conway, Arkansas, and Dorothy Hughes of North Little Rock, Arkansas. She is survived by an extended family of beloved nieces, nephews, grand-nieces, -nephews, cousins, in-laws and friends.
Her loyalty, compassion and generosity, fierce intelligence, passion, and ever-present sense of humor will be tremendously missed by all whose lives were enriched by her, the heart of a large and loving family.
A memorial service will be held at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, N. East Avenue, Fayetteville, Arkansas, at 1:00 p.m., Friday, February 8, 2019. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to the Siteman Cancer Center. Please designate the pancreatic cancer fund (in the I prefer to enter my own designation section), https://gifts.wustl.edu/siteman/index.html, or the Southern Poverty Law Center, 400 Washington Avenue, Montgomery, AL, 36104, or Fayetteville Animal Services.
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