Norma Louise Gray
MAY 19, 1949 – DECEMBER 9, 2022
On Friday, December 9, 2022, Norma Louise Gray passed away at the age of 73. She had an ongoing, non consensual relationship with cancer that lasted for two years. She underwent treatment after treatment with patience, frustration, and suffered quietly through it all with unwavering faith in her Heavenly Father. If she was anything, it was dignified. Of her eight siblings, her sister Lora was a perfect match for a transplant and was willing and able to undergo the procedure. It did not take. As her time became closer, she gathered her family around her for Thanksgiving and said in her soft, understated voice, "You aren't a part of my life, you are my life. You are the jewels in my crown, and I love you so much." She passed peacefully in her home with her hand held and her heart full.
Louise, who always preferred her middle name, was born on May 19, 1949, to Kay Jorgensen and Roberta Fullmer Jorgensen. She told stories of moving from Idaho to Utah and how there were one of her seven siblings on every surface of the family sedan. She worked hard, saved for college, and was a member of the Honors Society and received a scholarship to Dixie College. She was even a candidate for Dixie Days Queen while there. She graduated in 1969 to transfer up to University of Utah and graduated with a degree in Medical Technology. She often remarked that although she never used her degree professionally, it may have been the reason she saved the lives of several of her troublesome children.
While she was at the University of Utah she met Arnold William Gray Jr. who also went by his middle name and of Bill. He was a cheerleader capable of doing a backflip, an artist that drew pictures for his yearbook, and a man full of faith whom she married on June 4, 1971 in the Salt Lake Temple. Bill and Louise relocated to the Island of Oahu where they were stationed by the US Army and had their first three children, Arnold "Arnie" William III, Thomas Jefferson "TJ", and Nicole "Nikki" Noelani. Louise would remember those times as being incredibly financially poor but rich with togetherness. They would buy and share a single meal from a fast-food place and share it at the beach. They would go to church on Sunday and have their blonde children passed around the largely Pacific Islander congregation. Later in life they would visit Oahu again and the love of the islands and culture were evident on their faces.
After military obligations were fulfilled, the family moved back to Utah and a year later to Mesa Arizona where Bill would become a seminary teacher. Amy Noel was born while there, but they had to leave shortly after to find a different work opportunity. Louise would recount that "Ronald Reagan told the country to not give raises and we couldn't live on what the church was paying." They moved back to Utah with faith that Heavenly Father would provide, and He did. Bill found the job that he would have for the rest of his life shortly after moving home. Matthew Scott, Benjamin Michael, and Andrew John were born and they purchased the house that they turned into their family's home. She was blessed with thirteen grandchildren and five great grandchildren.
As their children got older and moved out, Louise and Bill got to experience the tenderness that only comes from decades of companionship. They took vacations to New Orleans, Orlando, Yellowstone, visited family in the Southern US, and generally enjoyed each other and their time together. In 2003, her sweetheart passed away in their home in his sleep. She never fully recovered from the loss of her eternal companion. As she learned of the inevitability of her battle with cancer, she said that she was ready to see him again and missed him dearly.
She is survived by all of her children Arnold William III (Rebecca Thompson), Nicole Noelani, Thomas Jefferson (Stephanie), Amy Noel, Matthew Scott (Tamra Glabe), Benjamin Michael (Alison Kennedy), Andrew John (Mary Grace), her mother Roberta Jorgensen, and her eight siblings Wendell, Carl, Allen, Lora Woodbury, Gary, Brent, Karalea "Lea", Verona "Ronnie". Her quiet intelligence, love for her family, and unwavering faith will be missed.
Memorial services will be held on Tuesday December 13th at 5233 South 3200 West, Taylorsville, UT. The viewing will start at 9:00 am and the funeral services will start at 11:00 am
Norma Louise Gray
MAY 19, 1949 – DECEMBER 9, 2022
On Friday, December 9, 2022, Norma Louise Gray passed away at the age of 73. She had an ongoing, non consensual relationship with cancer that lasted for two years. She underwent treatment after treatment with patience, frustration, and suffered quietly through it all with unwavering faith in her Heavenly Father. If she was anything, it was dignified. Of her eight siblings, her sister Lora was a perfect match for a transplant and was willing and able to undergo the procedure. It did not take. As her time became closer, she gathered her family around her for Thanksgiving and said in her soft, understated voice, "You aren't a part of my life, you are my life. You are the jewels in my crown, and I love you so much." She passed peacefully in her home with her hand held and her heart full.
Louise, who always preferred her middle name, was born on May 19, 1949, to Kay Jorgensen and Roberta Fullmer Jorgensen. She told stories of moving from Idaho to Utah and how there were one of her seven siblings on every surface of the family sedan. She worked hard, saved for college, and was a member of the Honors Society and received a scholarship to Dixie College. She was even a candidate for Dixie Days Queen while there. She graduated in 1969 to transfer up to University of Utah and graduated with a degree in Medical Technology. She often remarked that although she never used her degree professionally, it may have been the reason she saved the lives of several of her troublesome children.
While she was at the University of Utah she met Arnold William Gray Jr. who also went by his middle name and of Bill. He was a cheerleader capable of doing a backflip, an artist that drew pictures for his yearbook, and a man full of faith whom she married on June 4, 1971 in the Salt Lake Temple. Bill and Louise relocated to the Island of Oahu where they were stationed by the US Army and had their first three children, Arnold "Arnie" William III, Thomas Jefferson "TJ", and Nicole "Nikki" Noelani. Louise would remember those times as being incredibly financially poor but rich with togetherness. They would buy and share a single meal from a fast-food place and share it at the beach. They would go to church on Sunday and have their blonde children passed around the largely Pacific Islander congregation. Later in life they would visit Oahu again and the love of the islands and culture were evident on their faces.
After military obligations were fulfilled, the family moved back to Utah and a year later to Mesa Arizona where Bill would become a seminary teacher. Amy Noel was born while there, but they had to leave shortly after to find a different work opportunity. Louise would recount that "Ronald Reagan told the country to not give raises and we couldn't live on what the church was paying." They moved back to Utah with faith that Heavenly Father would provide, and He did. Bill found the job that he would have for the rest of his life shortly after moving home. Matthew Scott, Benjamin Michael, and Andrew John were born and they purchased the house that they turned into their family's home. She was blessed with thirteen grandchildren and five great grandchildren.
As their children got older and moved out, Louise and Bill got to experience the tenderness that only comes from decades of companionship. They took vacations to New Orleans, Orlando, Yellowstone, visited family in the Southern US, and generally enjoyed each other and their time together. In 2003, her sweetheart passed away in their home in his sleep. She never fully recovered from the loss of her eternal companion. As she learned of the inevitability of her battle with cancer, she said that she was ready to see him again and missed him dearly.
She is survived by all of her children Arnold William III (Rebecca Thompson), Nicole Noelani, Thomas Jefferson (Stephanie), Amy Noel, Matthew Scott (Tamra Glabe), Benjamin Michael (Alison Kennedy), Andrew John (Mary Grace), her mother Roberta Jorgensen, and her eight siblings Wendell, Carl, Allen, Lora Woodbury, Gary, Brent, Karalea "Lea", Verona "Ronnie". Her quiet intelligence, love for her family, and unwavering faith will be missed.
Memorial services will be held on Tuesday December 13th at 5233 South 3200 West, Taylorsville, UT. The viewing will start at 9:00 am and the funeral services will start at 11:00 am
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