Mary Frances McCracken Gray

1935 - 2026

Mary Frances McCracken Gray

September 6, 1935 - February 21, 2026

Charlotte, North Carolina - Mary Frances Gray was a gracious hostess, even if she politely declined to share the recipe for her famous cheese biscuits. She was a wise mother, which explains why Sunday evenings long ago she had her three daughters make a list of what they planned to wear to school that week. She loved the life she led with her family in Charlotte. But before her passing at age 90, she yearned to return to the front porch of her summer home at Lake Junaluska. There she would greet well-wishers in that distinctive Southern lilt, and amid the beauty of the mountains, thank God for life's many blessings.

A connector of people, woman of faith and force of nature, that was Mary Frances McCracken Gray.

Mary Frances was born on September 6, 1935, in Waynesville, N.C., the youngest of Albert and Myrtle McCracken's nine children. Raised on a dairy farm, she spent happy Sundays worshiping at historic Long's Chapel. After graduating from Women's College of the University of North Carolina (now UNC-Greensboro) with a degree in Home Economics, she moved to Charlotte in 1957 and worked as a home economist for Duke Power, where her duties included helping with the opening of Lake Norman. Even better than finding work in Charlotte, she found love. She and Gene Gray were married for 45 years before he passed away in 2005.

Mary Frances and Gene were founding members of St. Stephen United Methodist Church and later joined Myers Park United Methodist, where they put down roots in the Wesley Couples Sunday School class 50 years ago. She was proud chair of the Altar Guild, whose members keep the church looking beautiful.

Back in the day, Mary Frances and Gene played tennis at Olde Providence Racquet Club. She was an amazing cook, a master seamstress and lifelong bridge player. At her mountain home at Lake Junaluska – founded in 1913 by The United Methodist Church as a retreat center and just down the road from her childhood home – she found enjoyment tending to her cutting garden full of native plants and flowers. In the tight-knit community, where many a retired Methodist settled, she was known to throw the best parties, often at the drop of a hat and always featuring her ice cream sodas.

Never more happy than with grandsons Griffin and Gray, "Mom" loved playing the doting grandmother. She was especially proud of her two "Latin School" graduates, as she and Gene were charter families of Charlotte Latin School in 1970.

Mary Frances is survived by two daughters – Annie Gray Roberts (Mark) of Davidson and Sally Gray Smith (Eric) of Charlotte; two grandsons – Gray McCracken Smith of Charlotte and Thurman Griffin Smith of Brooklyn, N.Y.; son-in-law Crandell Yon of Charlotte; and many nieces and nephews, who affectionately called her "Sister."

She was preceded in death by her husband, Horace Eugene "Gene" Gray Jr.; all eight siblings; and her daughter, Mary McCracken Gray Yon who passed away in 2020.

A service to celebrate Mary Frances' life will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 7, 2026, at Myers Park United Methodist Church, 1501 Queens Road, Charlotte NC. The family will receive friends in Jubilee Hall following the service.

A gift in her memory can be made to Lake Junaluska Annual Fund (www.lakejunaluska.com/give/annual-fund), Lake Junaluska Assembly, Office of Development, 759 N. Lakeshore Drive, Lake Junaluska, N.C. 28745.

The family is grateful for cherished friend Betty Hines and everyone at Asbury Health and Rehabilitation Center in Charlotte who took such good care of Mary Frances. And vice versa. She'd frequently encourage the CNAs to grab a quick nap because they had earned a break.

Often after a loss, family and friends will find comfort in expressing what they will remember about a loved one.

Mary Frances mastered the art of Southern hospitality, spending a lifetime making people feel welcome. She was a shepherd of family and friends, unapologetically traditional and Methodist down to her core.

Arrangements are in the care of Kenneth W. Poe Funeral & Cremation Service, 1321 Berkeley Ave., Charlotte, NC 28204; (704) 641-7606. Online condolences may be shared at www.kennethpoeservices.com.