Mary Marjorie Gray

Mary Marjorie Gray was always known to her family and friends as Marjorie. She was born in Morganville, KS on June 16, 1916, and was the only child of Albert and Alice (Lamb) Gray. Marjorie was a successful and dedicated elementary teacher for forty-three years. Marjorie attended grade school and high school in Morganville. She received a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Northern Colorado College of Education in Greeley, CO and Masters of Arts Degree in Childhood Education from Teachers College-Columbia University in New York City, NY. Marjorie’s teaching career began at Mount Erie, near Morganville. She also taught in Linn, Blue Rapids and Abilene. Marjorie dedicated the last thirty-four years teaching second grade at Randolph Elementary School in Topeka. After retiring Marjorie spent many hours teaching in the foreign student program or the International Center at Washburn University. Marjorie was a member of the Kansas National Education Association, Kansas Retired Teachers, Alpha Kappa Delta sorority, American University Women, Topeka Women’s Club, Traveler’s Club and the First Methodist Church in Topeka. Marjorie’s hobby was traveling and she did so extensively on all continents, except Antarctica. Every other year for many years Marjorie took what she called a “nice trip.” She shared her experiences, photos and memorabilia with her students and friends. Marjorie referred to herself as a people person and said “she just loved people.” She had a large collection of colorful scarves, which she would wear every day, and said he friends liked to call her “the scarf lady.” Marjorie enjoyed reading and writing. She collected quotations and shared them in her correspondence. Marjorie acquired a special affection for penguins and collected pictures and books about penguins. A memorial service will be held in Wesley Hall at Aldresgate Village at 2:00 PM Thursday, February 23, 2012. She will be buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Clay Center next to her parents and requested all contributions be made to the Aldersgate Samaritan Fund.