Mrs. Arletha Gray passed away Wednesday, November 16, 2022. A service honoring her life will be held Wednesday, November 23, 2022 at Bethel AME Church; 200 N. Regan St. Greensboro, NC. The visitation will begin at 12 pm and the service will follow at 1 pm.

The Burial will take place Mon, November 28, 2022 at 2 pm at Salisbury National Cemetery; 501 Statesville Blvd., Salisbury NC.

Mrs. Arletha Jacqueline Newton Gray, daughter of the late James Lacy Newton and Frankie Jane York Newton, was born the youngest of five children on November 21, 1938, in Scotland County, North Carolina and departed this earth to be home with her Lord on November 16, 2022 after a brave battle with cancer.

She became a follower of Christ at the age of nine years old at Green Pond Church. Her parents raised her and her siblings, Geraldine Newton Bailey (D), Alton Lacy Newton, Venella Newton Johnson (D), and Artis Clifton Newton, in the fear and honor of the Lord. Arletha attended Monroe Avenue High School. She was studious, very active in clubs and the community, and always well dressed. Upon graduation in 1957 she attended Morgan State University in Baltimore, MD where she obtained her BS in Home Economics.

She met the love of her life, Isaac McKinley Gray, Jr., while attending Morgan State University and the two of them were married September 30, 1961 in Baltimore, Maryland. This loving union produced three children Isaac McKinley Gray, III, Terri Arletha Gray Fowlkes, and Kimberly Joy Gray Morgan.

Arletha moved around a lot early in her marriage to Isaac as a devoted military wife. She was brave and steadfast in prayer with two young children when her husband was deployed in the Vietnam War. Once he finished his tour and became an agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation Arletha commenced teaching Home Economics in the Public School System in New Haven, Connecticut. Mrs.Gray, as her students called her, was a loving, kind, and creative teacher who served and led many young lives for 25 years until she retired. She was also a committed Sunday School teacher to children and adults alike throughout the years.

Arletha, affectionately known as "Lee" or "Jackie" to some, was a women who loved the Lord and trusted in Him with all her heart. She was an amazing friend to those who knew her. She listened with great patience and care to anyone who called on her to hold space for them. She adored her family and the time she spent with them in person or on the phone. Never too busy to care about their needs and wants. She gave the best hugs and laughed infectiously when she got "tickled" about something.

She is survived by her loving husband, Isaac McKinley Gray, Jr., her three children Isaac McKinley Gray, III (Jonathan Bower), Terri A. Fowlkes (Wayne Fowlkes), Kimberly Joy Morgan (Marcus Morgan). Six grandchildren Rebecca Louise King, Elizabeth Jacqueline Gray Mitchell, Jonathan Christopher Gray, Mikayla Fowlkes, Jai Gray Morgan, Israel James Morgan and one great grandchild, McKenna Louise Robinson. Siblings, Alton Lacy Newton and Artis Clifton Newton (Dorothy Newton (D)). Her best friend and sister-in-law, Dorothy Marquenia Simpson (George Simpson). She leaves behind other special family members, a host of nieces, nephews, great nieces, great nephews, and special lifelong friends.

Arletha wants you to remember, "We are confident, I say, willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord." 2 Corinthians 5:8 KJV. So, rejoice for she is with her Savior and King. Proverbs 3: 4-6 and Psalm 91 are two of her favorite Bible verses. She loved the poem "If," by Rudyard Kipling. And when asked, "What I hope others have learned from me?" Her reply was, "To Trust in the Lord and to be kind, gracious, and loving towards others."