Virginia Grey Wright Gay

Virginia Grey Wright Gay, age 96, of Ruffin, North Carolina died on January 15, 2020 at Annie Penn Hospital in Reidsville, North Carolina. Funeral services will be held at 3:00 PM Friday, January 17, 2019 at Ruffin United Methodist Church with Rev. Lee Eggers officiating. Burial will follow in Ruffin Cemetery. The family will receive friends at Wilkerson Funeral Home on Thursday, January 16, 2020 from 6:00 – 8:00 PM. Other times the family will be at 139 Wright Street, Ruffin (the home behind Mrs. Gay’s house). Mrs. Gay was born in Ruffin on March 25, 1923 to Edgar Cameron Wright, Sr. and Mabel Hatchett Wright. She graduated from Ruffin High School and Greensboro College. She made her career in education, serving in the North Carolina Public School system in Walstonburg, Wilson, Bear Creek, and North Wilkesboro, before returning to teach English at Ruffin High School after the death of her husband in 1963. She made her home in Ruffin for the rest of her life, retiring from teaching in the late 1970’s. Mrs. Gay was a member of Ruffin United Methodist Church where she was involved in the E.C. Wright, Jr. Memorial Sunday School Class, Pastor- Parish Relations committee, and United Methodist Women. She was a woman of class, dignity, humor, and wit, affectionately called “Lick” by her family. Mrs. Gay is predeceased by her parents; husband, James (“Pappy”) Albert Gay; brother, Edgar Cameron Wright, Jr. and wife, Marie Tripp Wright; sister, Cornelia Wright Morton and husband, George Daniel Morton, Sr.; nephew, George Morton, Jr. and wife, Lucy; and great nephew, David Richard Canady. She is survived by her nieces Pamela Page Starr and husband Doug, Jeanne Wright Canady and husband David; nephew, Edgar Morton and wife Libby; great nieces, Meredith Page Switzer and husband Jeff, Jessica Tripp Page and husband Chris Weed, Rachel Starr, Martha Morton, Cornelia Morton Poer and husband, Brian; great nephews, Graham Page and wife Sonia, Andrew Canady, Tom Morton, Eddie Morton and wife Hope, Jason Morton and wife Janet, and the late Daniel Morton; great great niece, Aurora Page-Weed; and great great nephews, Wyatt Stone, Tripp Switzer, Miller Switzer, Cameron Page, Gael Page, and Max Page. In lieu of flowers, please make contributions to Ruffin United Methodist Church, 9640 US 29 Business, Ruffin, NC 27326.