Sarah Ann Harman Gardner-Gray

Sarah Ann Harman Gardner-Gray, 89, born October 10, 1919, in Tazewell, Va., passed away on July 18, 2009, at Richfield Recovery Care Center in Salem, Va., after a long illness. Ann was the youngest and last surviving child of Shields Sidney Forrest Harman and Martha Wray Harman, of Tazewell, Va. She grew up on the family farm with four other brothers and sisters. She graduated from Tazewell High School in 1938, and from Salem College in Winston-Salem, N.C., where she received a degree in English. Ann and her sister, Cassandra, both taught high school in Henry County, Va., before World War II. During the war years, she served as a full time volunteer for the American Red Cross. During the later 1940's, she was a full time volunteer for funding for the organization. It was on one of those campaign trips across the state of Virginia she met the man who was to be her first husband, Lewyn Hutson Gardner, of Shawsville, Va. Ann and Lewyn were married in August 1951, in Tazewell, Va., and resided at the family home in Shawsville, Va., for the entire thirty-five years of their marriage. In October of 1986, Ann was widowed. Three years later she was introduced to Dr. George Alexander Gray, of Blacksburg, Va., by her brother-in-law, Bentley Hite, at a University Club dance. George and Ann were married on October 20, 1990, in Tazewell, Va., and enjoyed many happy years of travel, mutual interests and support of community projects. They were avid bridge players with many treasured friends. Ann was always a gracious hostess of parties, especially those at the home at Christmas. Ann will be remembered by many for her years of dedicated weekly volunteer service at the Cancer Center of LewisGale Hospital in Roanoke, Va., and to the Smithfield plantation in Blacksburg, Va., as docent. She was active in the Presbyterian Women of Christians burg Presbyterian Church where she transferred her membership from the Tazewell Christian Church when she first came to Montgomery County in 1951. Ann is survived by her husband of almost twenty years, Dr. George Alexander Gray , of Shawsville, Va.; and several cousins, nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews, Martha Anderson, of Kingsport, Tenn., Mary Rordam, of Blacksburg, Va., Macon Sammons, of Mount Airy, N.C., Nancy Bashir, of La Habra Heights, Calif., Cassandra Olsen, of Hanover, N.H., May Straughan, of Wise, Va., Rosemary Vaughan, of Portsmouth, Va., Judy Dickerson, of Chesapeake, Va., Ann Cadden, of Mt. Sinai, N.Y., Mary Hendry, of Portsmouth, Va., Ernestine Aberle, of Clarence Center, N.Y., William Goslee, of Newport News, Va., Carol Hagy, of Rocky Mount, Va., Clara McClain, of Hamburg, N.Y., Meredith and Christian Olsen, and Sara, Asad and Asif Bashir, Kate Sammons, Gardner and Landon Rordam. Ann was preceded in death by her parents, Mr. and Mrs. S.S. F. Harman; her brother, Frank Wray Harman; her sister, Cassandra Harman Hite; her half sister, Kate Edna Harman Wahlin; and her half brother, Shields Forrest "Mike" Harman. Ann will be remembered as a loyal daughter, sister, wife and aunt by all. She loved her family, her community and her friends. A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, July 21, 2009, in the Horne Funeral Chapel with Dr. Donald Makin officiating. Interment to follow in White Cemetery, Shawsville, Va. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to, The Mountain Valley Charitable Foundation, P.O. Box 187, Shawsville, Va. 24162. The Gray family is being served by Horne Funeral Service. Online condolences may be sent by visiting hornefuneral service.com.