Obituary of Marian Gray

Marian Gray, 83, of Orleans and Brewster, died on Sept 24, 2009, at Cape Cod Hospital. Beloved wife of Howard Gray, and widow of Hugh Austin. Born in South Orange, NJ, Marian grew up in Millburn, with summers in Truro. She graduated from Millburn High School, and Miami University of Ohio.Marian leaves her children: Stephen Austin of Harwich, Janet Austin and her husband Kim Boekelheide of East Greenwich, RI, Greta Murat and her husband Art, of Alberta, Canada, and Sally Austin-Runci and her husband Ed Runci, of Duxbury; step-children: Judith Hajec and her husband Don of Andover, Janice Price and her husband James of Franklin, and Robert Gray and his wife Micca of Sebastopol, CA; 11 grandchildren, and 3 great grandchildren. Marian was the sister of Janet Francis of Greensboro, GA, and John Thornley of Truro, and the late Robert Thornley of Harwich. In 1947 she married her high school sweetheart, Hugh Austin. His work with General Motors took them to South Africa, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland and England. After Hugh’s untimely death in 1976, Marian settled on Cape Cod, where she met Howard Gray and married him in 1979. Avid golfers, they traveled to golf courses around the world. Marian was a member of the Cape Cod Womens’ Golf League, and president of the Captains Golf Course 18 Hole Women’s Association, winning the club championship in 1999. Marian studied and taught embroidery in Scandinavia, and took up rug hooking later in life, exhibiting widely and winning many blue ribbons at the Barnstable County Fair. She was membership chair of the Cranberry Rug Hookers. Marian found comfort with her “angels,” the staff at Liberty Commons in Chatham, who took such good care of her for the past year. Donations may be made in her memory to Brewster Ladies Library Association, 1822 Main Street, Brewster, MA 02631. Memorial service will be held later.