Jane (Gray) Smith, 82, died Saturday, March 16, 2024.
Visitation was held on Tuesday, March 19, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Hampton Funeral Home in Jackson, MI. The funeral service was held Wednesday, March 20, at the funeral home, followed by a graveside service at Spring Arbor Cemetery in Spring Arbor, MI.
Mrs. Smith was born to Harold and Thelma Meyer in Coffeen on Aug. 15, 1941. She graduated from Hillsboro High School and then Greenville College, where the seeds of her long and fruitful career in education were planted. She also earned master’s degrees in Spanish and School administration.
It was at Greenville she met her future husband, the late Clyde ‘Bud’ Gray. They moved to Jackson, MI, in the late 1960s, before eventually settling in Concord, MI, to commence their careers and family.
She later married Bill Smith, who survives.
Mrs. Smith was a world-class wife, mother and role model, a loving and inspirational grandmother and a caring and loyal friend and family member to so many people whose lives she touched throughout her 82 years of life. She was an all-star in every sense of the term.
She fought Alzheimer’s disease as she lived her life: tough, determined and courageous. That she lost her battle in the end is a testament both to the severity and to the cruelty of the disease with which she was afflicted. She is now at peace.
Mrs. Smith was a loyal servant to God, she lived to emulate the life of Jesus and she structured her life around her faith. Her faith was an inspiration and a comfort to many.
In addition to her husband, Mrs. Smith is survived by her sons, Todd (Kelly) Gray and Chad (Cari) Gray; grandchildren, Meghan, Isabelle, Lauren, Elena and Colton; brother Mark (Carol) Meyer; and loving and devoted sisters-in-law, Joyce and Beverly Gray.
