Fay Beth Gray

Dr. Fay Beth Gray went to be with the Lord on April 2, 2023, at St. Bernard’s hospital.  She was born on February 6, 1943, in Memphis, Tennessee, to Lloyd V Gray and Ruth  (Weaver) Gray, both  of whom preceded her in death.  She passed peacefully, surrounded by several of her closest friends.

Dr. Gray was a professor in the College of Business at Arkansas State University for three decades and served as Department Chair for several years.  She received her BBA and MBA from the University of Memphis (then Memphis State) and her Ph.D. from Georgia State University.  While at the University of Memphis, she worked in the College of Business Dean’s office, and while at Georgia State, she taught part-time in the College of Business.

She took early retirement so that she could pursue one of her greatest passions:  traveling.  From Europe to China, from the east to west coasts and almost all of the states and national parks between, Fay Beth loved every trip she took. In more recent times, Fay Beth used her GPS, but she really loved using a map or Atlas, and she helped fellow travelers avoid interstate backups by locating ways around them on her trusty map.  She would get as excited about a weekend trip to St. Louis (especially if she got to see her beloved Cardinals play) as she did a trip to England; Fay Beth just loved traveling.  She knew she was very blessed to have been able to travel as widely as she did.

Fay Beth was an avid reader and a true bibliophile.  She kept a detailed list of all her books which she originally created in the WordPerfect and dutifully backed up on many floppy disks before finally updating.  She loved bookstores and was very excited about the upcoming reopening of Barnes & Noble.

Fay Beth is survived by her “children,” Jumper and Shadow, her beloved cats that miss her very much and by her extended family cousins.  To know Fay Beth was to love her; thus, she is also survived by countless friends, including some of her closest friends, Sheila Tipton, Lou Ann McElyea, Sherry Blevins, Glenda Ozier, and Sandra Bevill, and her “adopted” family, Dr. Dana and Brian Watson, Ella and Luke Watson, and Drew Bevill.

Fay Beth loved the Lord and was a member of First Baptist Church, Jonesboro and she loved her Sunday School class, Agnes Harrelson Sunday School Class. She worked for many years at the First Baptist Church Care Center. Fay will be missed by many.

A visitation will be held from 9:30-10:00 on Wednesday morning at Emerson Funeral Home.

The service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, April 5, 2023 at Emerson Funeral Home with Ross Burton officiating. Burial will be private.

In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made to the First Baptist Church Building Fund, 701 S. Main St. Jonesboro, AR 72401, NEA Humane Society, 6111 E. Highland Drive, Jonesboro, AR 72401, or the charity of the donor’s choice.