MARGARET EDITH GRAY

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MARGARET EDITH GRAY March 18, 1915 - July 25, 2015 Margaret came into this world just over a hundred years ago on March 18, 1915 in Virden, Manitoba. She grew up on a farm with her two sisters, Freda and Gladys. Margaret's first husband was Lawrence Butler; they had one son, Barry Butler. They lived for a period of time in Gods Lake, Manitoba. Margaret moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba to start anew after her first marriage ended. She worked for a vacuum sales company where she met her second husband Ernest Gray. They had two children, Bob and Debbie Gray. Debbie passed away suddenly in 1973. This was a parent's worst nightmare and it took Margaret a long time to overcome this sorrow. Margaret was a fierce defender of her family whom she loved with all her heart. She never hesitated to let the kids know what she thought about how they were doing. While her remarks could be hard to take they were heartfelt and often humorous (in hindsight). She kept up with world affairs (both newsworthy and gossip) by reading her many magazines. "Hello", "Country Women", "MacLean's" were a few of her favourites. She loved to watch the 6:00 p.m. news to keep current on the world happenings. She was never shy about sharing her point of view regardless of whether you wanted it or not. Margaret was an accomplished knitter and seamstress. She made fabulous items for her children and grandchildren over the years. We always thought she was part raccoon because of her love of all things shiny and sparkly which led her to collect plates, jewelry, and dolls. She was also a huge fan of mail delivery and spent many an hour rummaging through the mail. Some of us might have considered it to be "junk mail", to her it was an adventure. Nobody could accumulate stuff like she could. She and Ernie travelled extensively in their later years. They journeyed to South America, Mexico, Hong Kong and Europe to name a few. Their favourite place was Oahu, Hawaii where they spent many a cold Winnipeg winter in the Hawaiian warmth. Margaret always said she was going to live to be 100 years old. True to her word she did and in doing so outlived a lot of her family. She truly enjoyed celebrating her 100th birthday at a party with members of her family. She will be missed much by her only surviving child Bob, his wife Sharon and their children Jessica and Dylan Gray. Her son Barry predeceased her in 2012 and his wife Joanne Butler, their children Peggy, Debbie, Karen, Jack and Jim will mourn her passing along with her many great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren throughout the U.S. Thank you to the caring staff at Mariposa Gardens for looking after Margaret since she moved to Osoyoos with her son Bob and wife Sharon in 2012. She enjoyed keeping the staff on their toes and they surely enjoyed her sharp wit and sense of humour. She certainly brought a smile to the staff's face and made their interactions with her enjoyable. Margaret expressed her wish to be cremated without a lot of fuss upon her passing. To honour her wishes she will be cremated privately. We were fortunate to have such a genuine, unique, caring person in our lives. She was a character and we will keep her in our hearts forever.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Aug 01, 2015