Toombs County, Georgia History and Genealogy Project

LaGrange Daily News Funeral Notices

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Mrs. Amelia Zill Gray

Mrs. Amelia Zill Gray, 97, of Lyons, died Tuesday at Meadows Regional Medical Center after an extended illness. Mrs. Gray, a native of Bradford County, Pa., was the oldest of six children born to the late Richard Charles and Elizabeth Louise Zill. She retired as a registered nurse, former high school English teacher and as a Sunday School teacher.

Mrs. Gray grew up in the college town of Salina, Kan., where she attended the public schools before graduating with honors from Kansas Wesleyan University in 1927 with a degree in English Literature. She was also an accomplished musician, having studied piano for many years under the university’s instructors.

From 1928 to 1944 Mrs. Gray taught Latin, English literature, and dramatics in Topeka, Kan., and Georgia high schools. In Georgia she taught at Pickens County High School in Jasper, Early County High School in Blakely, and LaGrange High School in LaGrange. She especially enjoyed helping students produce dramatic and shakespearean plays. Mrs. Gray was the widow of the late Mr. Dess Gray, who died in 1976 at the age of 88. He served for many years as the clerk of the Superior Court of Toombs County before his association with the Peoples Bank of Lyons.

In the 1920’s Mr. Gray represented the Toombs County District in the House of Representatives and was a close friend of the late United States Senator, Richard B. Russell. He was a tireless booster of his hometown in Lyons and in 1972 he received the Lyons-Toombs County Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year Award. Mr. Gray was an active member of the Lyons Methodist Church and a Kiwanian.

Mrs. Gray’s nursing career began as a school girl in 1918 during the great influenza epidemic that swept the United States at the end of World War I. She and her mother, Mrs. Elizabeth Zill, nursed family members and neighbors stricken with the influenza. Mrs. Gray always remembered the experience of being able to help others in need.

Dr. Fuller Callaway of LaGrange, was so impressed with Mrs. Gray’s nursing abilities that he personally assured her a scholarship to Johns Hopkins University in Blatimore to become a doctor and surgeon. She declined the scholarship due to her age of nearly fifty.

She worked for years for the Georgia State Health Department, helping to canvas the state with health clinics. In Lyons and Toombs County, she was known as a dedicated nurse who cared about her patients and their well being.

Mrs. Gray always recommended taking a long daily walk, watching one’s diet, weight, and getting preventive exams for glaucoma, cholesterol and cancer, etc. She remained active and alert, attending church regularly until the age of 96.

For many years in the 1960’s Mrs. Gray helped organize a Christmas relief program for the patients of Central State Hospital in Milledgeville. Citizens from Lyons and Toombs County would fill their cars with toys, clothing, books, magazines, toiletries, cakes, pies and a drive caravan up to Milledgeville to the hospital to distribute the gifts. The patients always looked forward to and appreciated this act of kindness.

In 1975, Mrs. Gray received the Lyons-Toombs County Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year Award for her dedication to her community. She will always be remembered for the joy she found in helping and being of service to others.

Survivors include her sister, Esther Z. McLemore of Atlanta; a brother, Paul F. Zill of Wilmington, Del., 12 nieces and nephews, and numerous great nieces and nephews. Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Lyons First Methodist Church with Dr. Max Hill officiating. Interment will be in the Lyons City Cemetery.

The family request that in lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the organ fund of Lyons First United Methodist Church.

Jones-Stewart Funeral Home in Lyons is in charge of arrangements.

Published in the LaGrange Daily News on 6/18/2002 page 4B.

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