Janice Ethel Gray, 85, of Hendersonville, NC went home to be with her Lord on Monday, April 6, 2020. She grew up in Connecticut and is preceded in death by her parents, Samuel David and Nellie Goodwin.
She is survived by her loving husband of 67 years, Donald Gray Jr.; three daughters, Valerie, Vicki and Vanessa; five grandchildren, Donald, Valerie, Philip, Steven and Christine; four great-grandchildren, Claire, Ian, Evelyn and Caroline; three siblings, Joan Halla, Sandra Sparks and David Goodwin.
At the age of 18, she married Donald, who was committed to a career in the US Air Force. She quickly adapted to the ways of the military. Over the 67 years of their marriage, she created warm loving homes for her husband and children in seventeen different locations across the United States and three locations in Germany. Some of these dwellings were not ideal, but she always made each home a warm environment for her family.
She was creatively talented in interior design and oil painting among other things. After Donald retired from the Air Force, she became very interested in antiques and taught herself the intricacies of antique merchandising. She decided to open her own antique store and found just the right place for it in a 1906 two story home in Sebastian, Florida. She remodeled it extensively and, in 1981, opened her very own successful antique store.
Although Janice loved running her antique store, her greatest concern was always in raising her three daughters and supporting her husband in all that he did. She was the rock of the family. She had the ability to sense when one of the family had an unspoken concern and was very adept in helping them clarify and resolve the issue. In 1967 she accepted Jesus as her personal savior at a bible study in Colorado Springs, Colorado. With love and patience, she then encouraged each of the family to come to know Jesus in a personal way. In time, her husband and each of her daughters accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior. She was always open to sharing the gospel with anyone she met and her love for the Lord was always reflected in her love for others.
In 1988 Donald and Janice moved to the mountains of North Carolina and settled in the city of Hendersonville. Janice was a member of Ebenezer Baptist church.
A memorial Service will be at 2:00 PM Saturday, August 7, 2021 at Ebenezer Baptist Church. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service at the church. Condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.jacksonfuneralservice.com. Jackson Funeral Service is assisting the Janice Gray family with the arrangements.
A memorial service will be at 1:00 PM Saturday, August 7, 2021 at Ebenezer Baptist Church.