Annie Pearl Gray was born Aug. 26, 1943, in Fairfield, TX to proud parents Wesley and Pinkie Hatcher. She grew up in a large Christian family that valued the virtues of family and hard work. As a child she attended Fairfield Baptist Church and Fairfield Church of God in Christ with her parents and family. She made a profession of faith as a child and rededicated her life to Christ at Red Bridge Baptist Church in 1976. Annie attended Dogan Elementary School and Dogan High school in Fairfield, TX and graduated in 1961 as Valedictorian of her class. During her high school days she was active in sharing her knowledge with others by tutoring her classmates. While in high school she was a lovely outgoing young lady with a heart of caring for others, especially the elderly. She always had a quest for knowledge and attended seminars at Historical Black Colleges such as Prairie View A & M University and Texas Southern University with her high school teacher, Mrs. Melanie Hills. Annie met her husband, Maceo, at Prairie View A & M University when he was a junior majoring in Electrical Engineering and she was a freshman majoring in Biology. They were married on June 6, 1964, a union that lasted almost 54 years. Annie moved to Kansas City, Missouri where Maceo was working for the Bendix Corporation and transferred to the University of Kansas City, which is now UMKC, where she graduated in 1966 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology. Annie was not able to march on her UMKC graduation day of May 22, 1966 because another more important event took place. Karen L. Gray was born. Later, on September 11, 1971, Kathleen A. Gray was born to the proud parents of two lovely daughters. Annie worked as a laboratory technician for the KU Medical Center and worked 20 years for the Pfizer Corporation as a Microbiologist. She and Maceo took early retirement in 1993 from their respective positions in the corporate world to yield to God's call to full time ministry. They moved to Dallas, TX where they both attended Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) and graduated together in 1998. She graduated with high honors and received a Master's Degree in Cross Cultural Ministries. During her tenure at Dallas Theological Seminary, upon the recommendation of her faculty advisor, she began teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) courses at Dallas Community College and fell in love with it. Upon graduation, the couple moved back to Kansas City where she began teaching ESL courses at Johnson County Community College where she taught for almost 20 years. Annie was preceded in death by her parents, Wesley and Pinkie Hatcher, brothers Riley, Wesley, Jr., infant Richard Bruce, and sister Berda Mae. Annie leaves to cherish her memories her husband of almost 54 years, Chaplain Maceo Gray; two daughters, Karen L. Selby (Christopher), Kathleen A. Smith (Todd); brothers Wash (Gloria) and Troy; sisters Myrtle, Martha, Mary Lee, Evelyn, Flower Jewel, and Bessie (Lonzo); grandchildren Jessica, Joshua, Jayna, Charity and Christopher, Jr., great grandchildren; Melody and Landon and a host of brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. A visitation will be held on Saturday, April 21 from 1:00pm to 2:00pm followed by a funeral service at 2:00pm at Red Bridge Baptist Church, 4901 East Red Bridge Road, Kansas City, MO. Interment will be at Mount Moriah Cemetery South, 10507 Holmes Road, Kansas City, MO.

Published in Kansas City Star on Apr. 20, 2018