Nadine Gray

Nadine Elizabeth Gray, 69, of Stafford, VA, departed this life on December 16, 2021.

Nadine was born on January 16, 1952 in Boston, Massachusetts. She grew up in Sharon, Massachusetts and was the only child of Emma and James Cannady. At a young age, she enjoyed playing the piano and hanging out with her friends. She graduated from Chandler School for Girls in June 1972. 

After high school, Nadine worked as a medical secretary at John Hancock Insurance Company. Nadine met her soulmate, Larry Gray, while working at John Hancock Insurance Company, and later married in August 1974. Their union produced two children, Larry, Jr. in 1976 and Tiffanie a year later.

Not long after marriage, Nadine found out that she was adopted. She searched over thirty years for her birth family, to no availability. Finally, in the late 2000’s she found her older brother, James Shellington. In 2014, Larry and Nadine moved to Fredericksburg, Virginia to be near her birth family. She discovered then just how large her family was.

Nadine had a unique sense of humor and was easy to find a joke in any situation. Nadine was a kindhearted person that loved people. She never met a stranger. She was a selfless person, who always put others needs before her own. She was a super woman to many who knew her. She had a special place in her heart for animals, especially her cats.

Nadine loved to tell stories of her younger years. She was very fond of her adopted family and often spoke of the wonderful childhood she had growing up with her father.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Emma and James Cannady; her birth mother, Jane Shellington Gammons; siblings, Andre (Ricky) Shellington and Janice Shellington Burke; brother-in-law, Francis Alford; sisters-in-law, Martha Gray and Victoria Gray.

Nadine is survived by her husband, Larry Gray, Sr.; son, Larry Gray, Jr and stunning daughter, Tiffanie Gray; her siblings, James Shellington (Betty), Willie Royster (Sheyla), Rosemary Stevenson, Conte Stevenson, Robin Carter and Jaqueline Collins; her sister-in-law Dorothy Alford; two special friends, Janet Rowel and Amalia Castelino; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives and friends that will cherish her memory forever.

A viewing will be held at A.L. Bennett and Son Funeral Home on Sunday, January 2, 2022 at 3:00 PM followed by a funeral service at 4:00 PM. The interment will be held privately.