Laura Gray

Laura Gray, 93, of Morehead City, passed away on Sunday, July 26, 2026 at Brookdale Senior Living.

Left to cherish her memory are her seven children: Tim (Deborah) Dawson of New Bern, NC, Paula (Mike) Johnson of St. Petersburg, FL, Ed (Brenda) Dawson of Columbus Ohio, Tom (Karole) Dawson of Largo, FL, Ellen (Bill) Henderson of Raleigh, NC, Amy (Rodney) Currin of Indian Beach, NC, and Dan (Liz) Howard of Rochester, NY. Granny/Grandma will also be fondly remembered by her fourteen grandchildren, twenty-two great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren, as well as numerous bonus grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Laura was predeceased by her beloved husband Carl E. Gray, her parents, Ben and Lilly Heise, sister Barbara (Charlie) Lamb, brother Buck (Sarah) Heise, brother Billy Heise and great-granddaughter Alexa Bailey. She is survived by her brother Jim (Vinita) Heise and sister Polly (Delmas) Greene. Devoted friend Claire Painter of Beaufort, NC also mourns her loss.

Laura was born during the depression in Asheville, NC and grew up during World War II. At 18, she set out for Washington, DC, where she met and married Marvin Dawson, a U.S. Marine and the father of six of her children. At one point, she had five children under the age of five!! The life of a Marine spouse took her to Norfolk, Hawaii, Twenty-Nine Palms, Cherry Point, Camp LeJeune, and Columbus.

When “Mo” passed in 1971, Laura was the sole support for her houseful of children. For most of our childhoods, Laura worked as a secretary, and was proud to have retired as the executive secretary to the chief executive officer of a Fortune 500 bank.

In the late seventies, Laura met and married Carl. Carl introduced Laura to long-distance bike riding, scuba diving, and snow skiing, and their travels and adventures were a source of great joy for her, second only to her love for her descendants. After her retirement in 1995, Laura and Carl moved to Beaufort where they built their dream home and enjoyed boating in the waters of the Crystal Coast. When we lost Carl in 2014, Laura adopted her beloved dog Penny, who was a wonderful companion to her for many years. She grew in her faith and became an active member of Shepherd of the Sea Lutheran Church in Atlantic Beach.

We will celebrate Laura’s remarkable life at Noe-Brooks Funeral Home on Friday, August 21, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. The family will receive visitors an hour prior. Sky blue and pink are appropriate attire, but not required. 

Flowers are appreciated but donations may be made in Laura’s memory to St. Jude’s Research Children’s Hospital. https://www.stjude.org/donate/donate-to-st-jude.html

Condolences and life tributes may be sent to the family at www.noebrooks.net

Arrangements by Noe-Brooks Funeral Home & Crematory of Morehead City, NC.