Bessie Lee Gray

RALEIGH - Bessie Lee Humphreys Gray, 94, of Raleigh died Wednesday, February 15, 2023. She was born on May 26, 1928, in Jacksonville, Florida, the only child of Uriah Humphreys and Marion Elizabeth Wrenn Humphreys, and spent her early years in Oklahoma. She moved to Raleigh as a teenager and never left. Soon after arriving in Raleigh, her family joined Hillyer Memorial Christian Church. In 1947, she married Louis Holt Gray at Hillyer, where they had met while participating in the church’s youth program.

She was preceded in death by her parents and her husband. She is survived by her four children, Lynne Gray Munns (Phil), of Emerald Isle, and Louis Holt Gray, Jr. (Harriett Coley), John Humphreys Gray (Martha), and Scott Thomas Gray (Susan), all of Raleigh. She is also survived by seven grandchildren, Jorie Munns Dickerson (Billy), Jennifer Munns Jackson (Donnie), Mary Brinn Gray, Emily Shore Gray, John Holt Gray, Samuel Wrenn Gray, and Elijah Scott Gray, and four great-grandchildren, Avery Leigh Dickerson, Luke Edward Jackson, Wrenn Margaret Jackson, and Reese Olivia Dickerson.

Bessie was very active at Hillyer, a longtime member of the Mary Group, the Fellowship Class, Prime Timers, and, for several years, served as the church’s financial secretary. She was also a dedicated volunteer at Meals on Wheels of Wake County.

Bessie was a passionate genealogist, spending countless hours in archive facilities and cemeteries throughout the country, researching her own forebears and the history of other families. She loved sharing interesting stories she discovered through her studies. She shared this passion with her cousins Sandra Bey Jaconetta and Harriett Bey Mesic, both of whom survive her. Other interests include puzzles, board and card games, and, later in life, flower arranging.

A graveside service was held Saturday, February 18. On Saturday, March 4 at 2:00, a service celebrating her life will be held at Hillyer Memorial Christian Church. The family will receive friends at a reception following the service.

The family encourages memorial donations to the Hillyer Memorial Christian Church Memorial Fund (718 Hillsborough St. Raleigh, NC 27603), Meals on Wheels of Wake County (1001 Blair Dr. Suite 100 Raleigh, NC 27603), or a charity of your choosing.

A service of Bryan-Lee Funeral Home, 831 Wake Forest Road, Raleigh, NC 27604.