Priscilla "Cici" Gray died Feb. 22 in Seattle surrounded by her loving family.
Family always came first to Ms. Gray. She had the knack of making each one feel as if they were the most important person in her life.
Always a good storyteller, she loved to embellish a tale now and then. She sang nursery rhymes to children and always cooked her family's favorite foods. She was well known for her excellent pies, and her children often requested a raspberry pie for their birthday present.
Ms. Gray loved to have people drop in and was known as a surrogate mom to many. Her life was filled with optimism and humor.
Ms. Gray was born Aug. 6, 1924, in Plentywood, Mont. Her family moved to Seattle, and she attended Ballard and Queen Anne High schools.
She married Neil Herbert Hampton when she was 18. He was a navigator for the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. He was killed in an air mission over Germany on the same day their son, Gary, was born.
Ms. Gray married Wayne Paul Gray on March 17, 1946. They spent their first two years in Riddle, Ore., overseeing a logging operation for Gray Lumber and Shingle. In 1948 they moved to Magnolia and lived in the same house for more than 60 years.
Ms. Gray is survived by her children and their spouses: Gary (Jen) Gray, Cecil "Chipper" (Nancy) Gray, Warren "Sandy" (Dani) Gray, Khristine "Kitty" (Don) Freeman and Mary Ann "Mimi" (Gene) Condon; eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Those who preceded her in death include parents Warren and Veva Smith, husband Neil Hampton, husband Wayne Gray, son Christopher Gray, sisters Ginger Phillips and Marian Smith, grandson-in-law Russ Howard and great-grandchild Sarah Ann Jimenez.
In lieu of flowers, Ms. Gray would like you to hug your children, your family and loved ones and say "love you!"[[In-content Ad]]
