In the early morning hours of Sunday, April 28, our beloved Mother passed peacefully into the arms of her precious Lord and Savior. A gathering of family and friends will be held at Memorial Funeral Chapel in College Station on Wednesday, May 1, 2013 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. A Memorial Service celebrating her life will be held on Thursday, May 2, at 2 p.m. at Memorial Funeral Chapel in College Station with her Pastor, Rev. Doug Dickey officiating. Interment will follow in the College Station City Cemetery.
Leila Gregg was born on May 22, 1915, in Bryan, Texas, to Charles F. and Ora Carroll Moehlman. She was the third of seven children born to this union, with her twin sister Louise entering this world only minutes later. Although Leila weighed just slightly over three pounds at birth, she miraculously lived to raise a family of her own, following the examples set forth by her parents, our Big Mom and Big Dad.
Big Dad was a blacksmith by trade (his shop building still stands on North Bryan Street), catering to the needs of farmers and ranchers of the Brazos Valley. As a loving couple who provided stability and security for their family, Big Dad and Big Mom were pillars of strength during the depression years. Leila learned early the value of hard work and honest dealings in all things. Most importantly, she was raised to know and love her Lord, and she lived for and served Him faithfully all her life. Her mother and her grandmother, Della Wootan, were founding members of the Bryan Freewill Baptist Church, where Mom remained a loyal, devoted member until her death Sunday.
After graduating from Bryan High School in 1932, she attended McKenzie-Baldwin Business School before going to work as an operator for the telephone company. Then, on June 11, 1937, Leila married the love of her life, Ernest Gregg, a career postal employee who retired as College Station Postmaster in 1971. She shared later with her family that her marriage had meant tremendous changes in her life, for she now was on her own to handle all the duties of a homemaker, whereas before marriage she had shared such chores with other family members. Nonetheless, she persevered to become an excellent cook, housekeeper, nurse, listener, confidant, teacher, and example for her own four children.
When the Memorial Student Center opened on the A & M campus in 1951, Leila went to work in the Guest Rooms Dept. as a Desk Clerk/PBX Operator, then several years later transferred to the Texas Agricultural Extension Service, finishing out her working years as secretary to Director John Hutchison. She met many people during these years who remained friends for life.
Leila was preceded in death by her parents; her husband of 46 years, Ernest Gregg; her brothers, Charles F., Jr. and E.C. (Buddy) Moehlman; and her sisters, Louise Tomayko, Doris Thompson, and Lillian (Bitsy) McCurdy.
She is survived by her sister, Alta Faye Kirk of Bryan, Texas; two daughters and their spouses, Linda and Robert Goebel of New Braunfels, Texas and Della and Jack Holcomb of Bryan, Texas; two sons and their spouses, Glenn and Mona Gregg of Hamden, Conn., and Gordon and LaNell Gregg, of College Station, Texas; 14 grandchildren; 27 great grandchildren; and 2 great-great grandchildren; as well as a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and special friends. Mom never met a stranger—you were her friend that she had just not met yet!
Our family extends a heartfelt thank you to Mom’s many caretakers and physicians who ministered to her needs over the last years of her life. In lieu of flowers, should you be so inclined, donations may be made in her name to the charity or church of your choice.
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