Barbara L. Gray

Barbara L. Gray passed away peacefully on December 1, 2020, at the age of 74. She was born in Warren, MN to Thomas and Helen and was the middle sister to two brothers. She graduated from Warren High School in 1964, went on to study nursing in Thief River Falls, MN, and moved to Great Falls, MT in 1973. She possessed a tremendous passion for helping others. She work in several nursing capacities at the Columbus Hospital and Montana Deaconess Medical Center, including anesthesiology, orthopedics, neurology, and home health. She also worked with students at the Montana School for the Deaf and Blind as a room mother. She also ran her own childcare center for a number of years. She was devout in her faith and volunteered as Director of Children's Religious Education for two Great Falls churches and served on advisory boards for several children's clubs and organizations in Great Falls, spanning nearly 40 years of service to her community. Barbara was a devoted wife to her husband, Dennis, for 45 years, married December 27, 1975. She was a loving mother to their only daughter, Amy. She loved to travel with her family and much-adored dogs, collect Polish pottery, quilt, study genealogy, and she was an avid reader. Her legacy lives on in the children she cared for, taught, and loved as her own, the patients whose lives she made a little brighter in their weakest moments, and in the friends and family who experienced her warmth, compassion, generosity, and grace. Her warm hugs and her beautiful sparkling blue eyes, that always held a twinkling laugh and all the love in the world, will be missed most. Barbara was preceded in death by her father, Thomas; mother, Helen; and her older brother, Keith; her grandparents; and many beloved aunts, uncles, and cousins. She is survived by her husband, Dennis; daughter, Amy (Brad); younger brother, John (Jeanne); and her nieces, nephews, and their children. Barbara has been cremated and a funeral service will be held at St. Ann's Cathedral in Great Falls on Wednesday, December 9, 2020 at 12:00 noon. Barb's family would like to invite friends and loved ones to attend a visitation at O'Connor Funeral Home Tuesday, December 8, 2020 between the hours of 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. to share in a celebration of her life through personal stories and memories. In the spirit of Barb's generosity and love for humankind, please make any donations to an organization close to your heart.