Rose Mary Gray

Second of five children, she was born to Lillian Cloughley (Georgie) and William Cloughley of Kansas City, Missouri. Beloved wife of 66 years to Raymond Lyndol Gray, dear mother of Kathryn Stumpf, Joan Cleaveland (Leo Meyer), David Gray and Steven Gray (Maryanne), dear grandmother of Jason (Jana), Jessica (Kevin), Keely, Mica (Makana), Dylan and Irene, dear great grandmother of Emma (Cody), Jack, Kamdyn, Jordan (Asha) and Sedona, dear great-great grandmother of Jade and Cecelia. She was also a sister, aunt, great aunt, cousin, friend and teacher to many more.

Rose was a cook, cleaner, nurse, teacher, seamstress, money manager, and counselor all rolled up into being a great mom. She had a reputation for being thrifty and often went without to make sure her family’s needs were met. At the request of several neighbors, our home became a daycare. At times in the summer, there could be as many as eight extra children being cared for on a daily basis. She knew how to run a tight ship and keep everyone in line. Since our dad traveled with his job, mom handled all of the home responsibilities on her own. As children we never realized how difficult that must have been until we got old enough to experience it ourselves. She made it look easy.

She will be remembered for her love of ice cream, hats, music & dancing. Always a sociable person, Rose made friends easily. Comfortable being brutally honest when needed, she always told it like it was. Being able to communicate what was on her mind, Rose never felt bitterness towards others. As children, she forced us to make up when we were angry with each other. It was a valuable lesson in forgiveness, something she excelled at. Rose was able to laugh at herself and was never insulted if someone joked about any deficiencies she had. Her wonderful sense of humor was another gift she shared with us. It meant so much to her for us to have fun and be happy.

As we got older, Rose began working in the school cafeteria. There she proved once again what a wonderful inspiration she was for young people. Several students working in the cafeteria were dealing with various challenges. Rose showed she cared by listening and teaching them life skills. She set high standards with the expectation to take pride in a job well done. Many of those students kept in touch with Rose to let her know the difference she made in their lives.

Like many children we could be difficult at times often calling her a mean mother. She wore the title like a badge of honor after seeing a column in the newspaper describing the traits of “the meanest mom in the world.” That column was posted on the kitchen bulletin board as a reminder that she had no intention of relinquishing the title. We are grateful she never backed down on her job as a mother. Her love touched so many and made all of the children she had a part in raising become the best they could be. Mom will be dearly missed!