Mary Juanita Gray

A memorial worship service for Mary Gray will be held Wednesday night, May 17th, at 6:30 at Northcrest Baptist Church. The service will be in lieu of the church's regular Wednesday night activities. Dr. Wade Phillips will be officiating. Robert Barham Family Funeral Home is honored to be entrusted with the arrangements.

Ms. Gray, 65, passed away Thursday, May 12th, at Anderson Regional Medical Center, surrounded by friends. Ms. Mary, as she was affectionally known by those who loved her, never married, and never had children, but she leaves behind a legacy larger and more eternal than so many who did both.

Ms. Mary was a beloved member of Northcrest Baptist Church. Though she was not the worship leader at Northcrest, she was the "lead worshiper," always on the front row, always standing with hands raised as she worshiped the Lord through song. She also served children at Northcrest for years, in Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, Bible drills, and various other activities.

After she met Jesus, Ms. Mary was never the same. She was saved and baptized at Northcrest in 2007. She never forgot what Jesus did for her, and she wanted others to know He could do the same thing for them. She rarely came to church without a car full of people she had picked up along the way. She wanted other people to know the joy of knowing the Jesus who saved her. She cheerfully and generously gave, well beyond her limited means, including regularly sending money to Northcrest's ongoing mission partner church in Sabaneta, Dominican Republic. She helped people in Meridian, and all over the world, come to know Jesus. And she did so with a smile that shined with the radiance of the Son who saved her.

Because Ms. Mary loved Jesus, she also loved people. Though she had serious health problems for the last 15 years of her life, she never let those stop her from showing God's love to all of those around her. She was a vital part of Northcrest's annual Love Out Loud program, serving the community and showing Jesus' love to all of those she met. She even shaved the letters "LOL" into the back of her head each year!

Ms. Mary was also beloved by her neighbors at Miller Park Apartments. She was the glue that kept all the neighbors in the small apartment complex together. They also helped take care of her, as her health declined over the last several years.

Ms. Mary is preceded in death by her mother, Geraldine Gray, a grandmother who helped raise her, Mary Marie Gray, her sister Sharon Hamler, and her brother, Willie James Gray. She is survived by a host of cousins, nieces, and nephews, as well as a list of friends too numerous to be counted.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to Sabaneta Missions. Make the check to Northcrest Baptist Church and put "Sabaneta Missions" in the memo line.