Mary Isabelle DePoyster-Bray "Maybelle"

Mary Isabelle DePoyster-Bray, "Maybelle", born on February 10, 1913 in Corinth, Mississippi, the loving daughter of Robert and Jeanie DePoyster, died on Monday February 14, 2011 in Roseville, California at the age of 98 years. Maybelle was the oldest of six children. In 1931, when Maybelle was only 18, she moved to New York City where she attended NYU and became a Registered Nurse, later working at Bellevue Hospital as well as doing private duty. As an RN, in 1936, Maybelle was on the cover of Life magazine assisting as a Red Cross Nurse during the Tennessee Valley Floods.

While in New York, she met James J Bray and in 1939 they married. They had two children, James P Bray and Kathleen F Bray(Murphy). James and Maybelle moved to California where Maybelle was the first nurse hired by Henry Kaiser for his employees in the shipyards in the Bay Area during the War.

James and Maybelle settled in Fremont, California in 1955 where they raised their children and Maybelle worked at Merritt-Peralta Hospital in Oakland. She later worked at Agnew Psychiatric Hospital where she retired in 1980.

Maybelle and her gentle nature will be missed by her 2 children and their spouses, their 7 grandchildren, 14 great grandchildren , numerous nieces and nephews and her brother, Bonny DePoyster. Graveside services will be held for Maybelle on Saturday, February 19th at 1:00 P.M. at Cedar lawn Memorial park, 48800 Warm Springs Blvd, Fremont,CA.