Obituary for Linda Gray

Ponca City Now - February 28, 2020 3:07 pm

Linda Gray

January 24, 1963 – February 26, 2020

Linda Sue Gray, resident of Ponca City, passed away on Wednesday, February 26, 2020. She was 57 years old. A funeral ceremony will be held at the First United Methodist Church in Ponca City on Tuesday, March 3, 2020 at 10:00 am. She will be laid to rest at Pheasant Hill Cemetery near Vinita, OK at 3:00 pm following the funeral ceremony. Arrangements are under the direction of Trout Funeral Home & Crematory.

Linda was born on January 24, 1963 in Guymon, OK to her parents, Merle and Rowena (Hughes) Nickelson. Linda married Pat Gray at Victory Memorial United Methodist Church in Guymon, OK on June 17, 1989. She graduated from Oklahoma State University in 1986 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Family Relations & Child Development & Elementary Education. Linda taught elementary school for 22 years with 17 of those years in Ponca City. She was sweet natured and loved teaching, finding joy in what she did. She could be found quite often perfecting her classroom for the upcoming week.

She was a wonderful mother who loved her three children dearly and was passionate in keeping up with all of their events and activities. Her favorite way to spend free time was being with Pat around their kids, whether that meant family vacations, being at the lake, cooking at the house, or just simple family games (especially Rummikub). She was very competitive and it rubbed off on her kids. She also loved spending time with her two sisters. When they were together you could always count on some silly giggles. Her smile and laugh could brighten anyone’s day. The way she lived her life was a testament of her faith in Jesus Christ. She made the world a better place.

Since May 2017, Linda battled glioblastoma, a form of brain cancer. Her fight included two brain surgeries and several forms of cancer treatment at Stephenson Cancer Center in Oklahoma City. Although things weren’t always easy, she had a smile on her face every day and didn’t let it worry her. She will be greatly missed by her friends and family.

Linda is survived by her husband, Pat Gray of Ponca City, son, Lance Gray of Oklahoma City, son, Shawn Gray of Ft. Worth, TX, daughter, Sierra (Gray) Boyd of Ste. Genevieve, MO, parents, Merle and Rowena Nickelson of Guymon, OK, and sisters, Debra Penner of Weatherford, OK and Brenda Sparks of Guymon, OK.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Linda’s honor to Children’s Hospital Foundation (https://www.chfkids.com/donate ) in her memory. If desired, on the donor website you can select to send a personal message to Pat Gray.

Source: Trout Funeral Home