Dr. Dorothy Gray, 53, of Beaumont, died May 22, 2008 in an accident near Pachuca, Mexico. Born in Carthage, Texas, and raised in Joaquin, Texas, she graduated from East Anchorage High School in Alaska, and received her Bachelors and Masters degrees from the University of Alaska at Anchorage. It was there that she discovered her love for helping non-English speaking children by working with the Eskimo children.
Dorothy had lived in Beaumont several years with her husband Gary and sons, Paul and Chris. She was the Region V Education Service Center Program Coordinator for the ESL/Bilingual/Migrant Support Program, the Master Reading Teacher Program and the TEA Limited English Proficiency Student Success Initiative.
Dorothy completed her Superintendent Certification and received a Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership from Lamar University on May 10, 2008. At the time of the accident, she was traveling with her husband and sons as part of the Title III Mexico Teacher Immersion Program, a program to take educators to Mexico to develop a deeper understanding of the culture associated with the largest immigrant student population in American schools. Dorothy and Gary had organized these trips for the past five years.
Dr. Dorothy Gray is survived by her husband, Gary Gray; two sons, Paul and Chris Gray; her mother, Mary Beth Watson all of Beaumont; brothers, Earl Hitt and his wife Gay of Forsythe, Georgia, David Hitt and his wife Lisa of Beaumont, Bryan Hitt and his wife Cindi of Simi Valley, California, and Mark Hitt of Beaumont; and sister, Lana Dailey of Anchorage, Alaska.
Funeral services will be 11:00 a.m. Saturday, May 31, 2008 at Ridgewood Church of Christ in Beaumont under the direction of Broussard's, 2000 McFaddin, Beaumont. Graveside services will follow at 4:00 PM in Jackson Cemetery near Joaquin, Texas. A gathering of her family and friends will be from 6:00-8:00 p.m. Friday, May 30, 2008 at the mortuary.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Dorothy’s memory may be made to: The Dorothy Gray Family Educational Fund, c/o Education First Federal Credit Union, P.O. Box 26751, Beaumont, Texas 77720-6751.
