Wilburn "Bill" Gray
Wilburn E. “Bill” Gray, 95, died under hospice care on Monday, May 15, 2017 in Chattanooga.
Born in Burnsville, Ms., on Nov. 14, 1921, Bill was the youngest child of Shug and Mary Elledge Gray. He attended Burnsville High School and graduated in 1939. He began a career with TVA and married Lottie Katherine Bratton in 1942. He enlisted in the U.S. Army and saw action in the Pacific Theater during World War II. He was present at the signing of the Peace Treaty in the Bay of Japan in 1945. After returning home, he returned to work at TVA and moved the family to Chattanooga in 1957. He worked at TVA as an accountant for 42 years until his retirement in 1984. He and Lottie (Kathy) raised their family in Corinth, Ms., and Chattanooga, and moved to Martin Boyd Christian Home for their late retirement years. He volunteered for 18 years at Memorial Hospital and was considered the family historian, documenting the Gray family lineage to the colonial period.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Shug and Mary Elledge Gray of Burnsville, Ms.; one brother, Howard Gray; and three sisters, Mildred Smith, Velma Forby, and Francis Tidwell.
He is survived by his wife of 75 years, Lottie Katherine Bratton Gray; one daughter, Ann Asbury (Miller) of Abingdon, Virginia; one son, W. Wayne (Ann) Gray of South Pittsburg; six grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.
Graveside services will be 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 18, at the Chattanooga National Cemetery 1200 Bailey Ave., Chattanooga, Tn. 37404. Military honors will be provided by the Army National Guard.
In lieu of flowers, Memorial contributions can be made to the Marty Boyd Benevolent Fund, 6845 Standifer Gap Road, Chattanooga, 37421.
Arrangements are under the care of Chattanooga Funeral Home Crematory and Florist East Chapel, 404 South Moore Road, East Ridge, Tn. 37412.