Carole Edith (Ruhlen) Gray

August 9, 1928 - August 11, 2017

Carole Gray, 89, passed away on Friday, August 11, 2017 in Lenexa, Kansas. Carole was born August 9, 1928 at Winchester, KS, the youngest of five children of Rev. Charles and Edith (Stafford) Ruhlen. Carole grew up in multiple small Kansas towns as the daughter of a Methodist minister. A Jayhawk and Watkins Hall scholar, she graduated from K.U. in 1948. She married Glenn C. “Barney” Gray on Sept. 2, 1948 at Ebenezer Church in Clay Center, KS. The young couple moved to Nebraska after graduation, and later settled in Prairie Village, KS. After their 5th child, they moved to Overland Park, Kansas. Carole was a founding member of Asbury Methodist Church in Prairie Village, KS. She and Barney supported the church throughout their lives. She enjoyed singing in the choir and her UMW circle. Carole was president of the MSPE Auxiliary, and an officer in the Kansas Historical Society. Carole played trombone, piano, and organ. She was an accomplished seamstress, bridge player, and an excellent cook. She loved spending time with her many friends and family. Carole is preceded in death by her husband, Glenn C. “Barney” Gray; and her siblings; Stafford Ruhlen, Ralph Ruhlen, and Lylas Guglar. She is survived by her sister, Ruth Butterfield of Clay Center, Kansas; her five children: Jeffrey Alan Gray of Katy, TX; Jon Gray and his wife, Karen of Overland Park, Kansas; David Gray and his wife, Brenda of Ann Arbor, Michigan; Julia Saller and her husband, Art of Sugar Land, Texas; and Laura Gray of Overland Park, Kansas; eleven grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. Memorial services will be Saturday, September 9, 2017 at 1:00 P.M. at Asbury United Methodist Church in Prairie Village, Kansas. Graveside services will be held at 12:00 P.M., Sunday, September 10, 2017 at Greenwood Cemetery, in Eureka, Kansas. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that memorials be made to the Asbury United Methodist Church or to the National Parkinsons Foundation Heartland Chapter. Contributions may be sent in care of Koup Family Funeral Home, P.O. Box 595, Eureka, KS 67045, which is overseeing arrangements.