Elizabeth Gray Was Active In Camp Ground Events

Elizabeth Hunt Decker Gray died unexpectedly on Oct. 24 at the age of 92. She was predeceased by her husband, Dr. William Gray Jr., in 1961 and was the daughter of the late Mary Elizabeth and Frank Alexander Decker of Providence, R.I., and Thompson, Conn.

Betty was born in Providence and was graduated from Lincoln School in Providence and Mount Vernon Seminary in Washington, D.C. She lived on the east side of Providence and spent summers in Thompson as a child.

On June 26, 1936, she married William Gray Jr. of Latrobe, Pa., who had recently moved to Putnam to practice dentistry.

At the Putnam Congregational Church she served on the building fund committee, of which she was chairman, and was a board of trustees member, Sunday school teacher and longtime member and officer of her Women's Fellowship Group.

In the community she was an active servant on various boards and committees. She volunteered with the Visiting Nurse Association and was an organizer of the Red Cross disaster committee. As a member of the Putnam Board of Education, she served on the building committee for a new high school. She was active in bringing the Girl Scouts program to Putnam and was on the Girl Scout committee for many years. She also served as a member of the town and city planning and zoning commission.

Most recently, she was instrumental in bringing the play The Boxcar Children to Putnam for the enjoyment of the school children of the town. The play was adapted from the first book in a series written by the Putnam first grade teacher Gertrude Warner, which culminated in the establishment of The Boxcar Museum in Putnam.

Since 1965 she had spent summers at her Oak Bluffs cottage on the Vineyard, which became the focal point of family gatherings. Many extended family members spent their vacation time with her. All who visited will remember her lingering goodbyes from the doorstep. The magical draw of the Vineyard had its effect on the growing family, and several of her children and grandchildren also built homes here.

She was an active participant in the church services on the Island and later became a member of the board of directors of the Martha's Vineyard Camp Meeting Association, serving from 1983 to 1993. She participated in all Tabernacle events throughout her years and hosted several Tabernacle event participants and guest ministers, as well as some members of the Rhode Island chorus groups that visited. Betty was influential in raising the Camp Ground Museum concept to the association and became the curator of the first museum on Rock avenue. For several years she actively searched for period furniture from the early 1900s to furnish the museum. This site also hosted guest ministers of the Tabernacle. She was acknowledged for her contributions to the Camp Ground in 1997, when she was asked to light the ceremonial first candle of Illumination Night.

One of her more memorable times on the Island was acting as an extra in the 1993 movie The Bostonian with Christopher Reeves.

During her life she enjoyed sailing and was never known to turn down a boat ride. She was a member of the Garden Club, East Chop Beach Club and the East Chop Yacht Club.

Always very family minded, she never missed an opportunity to get family together, usually on the Island and often at an afternoon or evening beach party. She hosted all large family Christmas celebrations for the past 45 years in Putnam. She was an active traveler; earlier this year she visited Antigua, California and Nevada.

As she enjoyed sailing, her family honored her 90th birthday with a surprise musical production highlighting many of her life's events; they called it If I Had a Ship. The family buckled down for several months of secret planning, producing and rehearsing. The outdoor stage, complete with a real sailboat, set the tone for what became a magical if somewhat comical voyage through her life. The two-hour event was recounted in words, song and active skits performed by her children. At its conclusion, Nana bravely took her place at the helm and -- surrounded by her crew of more than 50 offspring, their partners and guests -- seemed eager to press on to the next adventure. At this tribute was a display of 500 photographs showing various family members and functions throughout her life. The production was for her entertainment and for her grandchildren to learn more about their beloved Nana.

All who knew her as a brave, caring, selfless, graceful and elegant lady with cheerful hospitality will miss her. She was Nana to all who met her and was a devoted mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. Her stoic Yankee independence guided her throughout her long, rewarding life.

A celebration of life was held at a private memorial service at the Congregational Church of Putnam, Conn., and she was interred next to her husband in the Grove Street Cemetery in Putnam.

She is survived by Lydia Smith and her husband, Bill, of Gardnerville, Nev.; Judith Quattrucci of Stoughton; William Gray Jr. and Lynn of Andover; Jack Gray and Claire of West Tisbury; Sward Lockwood of Oak Bluffs and formerly of South Dartmouth; 13 grandchildren and their spouses; 18 great-grandchildren; sister Faith D. Rafferty of Brookline, Conn., and her daughter, Patricia DeWolf of Westerly, R.I., and cousin Nancy Ebbs of Thompson, Conn. She was predeceased by her brother Frank A Decker, Jr.

Donations in Betty's memory may be made to the Martha's Vineyard Camp Meeting Association Tabernacle Restoration Fund, P.O. Box 1176, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557 or the American Red Cross, Charter Oak Chapter of CT, 209 Farmington avenue, Farmington, CT 06032.

Funeral arrangements are under the care of Smith & Walker.