Mildred Messersmith Gray

Mildred Messersmith Gray, 96, was born November 28, 1917 at Tuscumbia, Missouri to Charles and Minnie Messersmith. She passed away on September 17, 2014, with her family by her side. She was predeceased by her parents; two brothers, James (who died during the 1918 Flu Epidemic as an infant)and John Messersmith; four sisters, Juanita Stillwell, Betty Lou Smith, and two who died during childhood, Olive Jean and Ida Helen; her husband, B. B. Gray; and her daughter Judy Gray. She was the last of her generation of Messersmiths. Mildred attended school at both Iberia and Tuscumbia, MO, and graduated from Tuscumbia High School in 1935, first in her class. That same year, she married B. B. Gray, and they traveled for six years during his construction jobs, during the height of the Depression. In 1941, her husband saw an advertisement for work in the Panama Canal Zone, and began working at Gatun Locks on the Atlantic Side. She joined him the following year to live in Gatun, CZ, and their first child, Judy Gray, was born in 1943. Their son Jim Gray was born nine years later on her birthday. During their nearly 30 years in the Canal Zone, Mildred fulfilled her strong determination to acquire an education, at a time when women were not widely encouraged to do so. She earned a college degree from Florida State University's Boot Strap program for the military, while also maintaining a career as a librarian for the U.S. Army as a civilian employee, managing the post library at Fort Davis or Fort Gulick at different times. Books were her lifelong passion, which both of her children inherited from her; since Miller County could not afford a library, she borrowed every book she could find while growing up. And all her life, if she ever knew of a friend or relative who desired a particular book, she felt a duty to obtain it for them; she took great delight in putting people together with books. Few have ever shown such a spirit of generosity, and she was loved by those who became acquainted with her. Her interest in genealogy led her to spend several decades researching and writing a book of her own, tracing her family line back to their emigration from Bavaria, Germany in 1751. Long before the Internet simplified genealogical research, she did it the old-fashioned way, consulting old census and microfilm records, and even employed a researcher in Germany to look up old village records. Messersmith Roots and Branches, almost finished before her health declined, will be published posthumously. The Miller County Historical Society in Tuscumbia, MO was especially close to her heart, and she donated a great deal of her research to the Society. She had joined the DAR on the military record of her ancestor, Abraham Rowden, who served in the 5th Virginia Line. She was also a member of the Daughters of The Union Veterans Of The Civil War. Her book will be dedicated to her grandfather, Hiram Messersmith, who served in the 12th Missouri Cavalry during the Civil War. In addition to her love of books, Mildred was an avid needlewoman and a member of the Embroiderers Guild of America, Dogwood Chapter, in Decatur, GA. She is survived by her son Jim Gray and daughter-in-law Cynthia L. Horton. Other survivors are nephews John Michael Smith, Roger Dale Smith, and John David Messersmith, and a niece, Linda Messersmith Hudson. Great nieces and nephews include Lee Anne Davis, Tina Thomas, Dustin Smith, Lance Smith, Edmunds Messersmith and John David Messersmith Jr. She also leaves numerous relatives and, of course, the many friends and correspondents whose lives she enhanced. Donations would be welcomed at Miller County Museum, Box 57, Tuscumbia, MO 65082. Her funeral will be held in the chapel of A. S. Turner and Sons at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, September 22. Burial will be at Floral Hills Cemetery, Tucker, GA. Viewing will be on Sunday, September 21 from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. and one her prior to her services on Monday at A. S. Turner and Sons Funeral Home and Crematory. 2773 N. Decatur Rd, Decatur, GA 30033. (404-292-1551)




Funeral Home:
A.S. Turner
2773 N. Decatur Road
Decatur, GA
30033