Augusta Gray
Augusta May Jayne Carrell Gray, 95, passed away Friday, Nov. 1, 2019, at Taylor Manor Nursing Home in Versailles, Kentucky. Born Oct. 14, 1924, in Nokomis, Illinois, she was the daughter of the late Augusta Roman and Jesse Addison Jayne. With her family, Augusta moved to Asheville in 1935 at age 11, and at that time she began a lifelong love affair with the surrounding mountains.
A 1941 graduate of Lee Edwards High School, “Gussie” worked as a dental assistant for her future husband, Dr. George H. Carrell, in west Asheville. A homemaker and devoted wife, she loved all things in nature and was an esteemed amateur botanist. Starting in the late 1970s, she used her passion for plants and knowledge of trails working for Eastern National Park Service on the Blue Ridge Parkway at Craggy Gardens Visitor Center and at the Folk Art Center. In later years, she volunteered for the Park Service in a number of capacities – manning visitor centers, leading wildflower walks for children and adults, as well as collaborating on educational programs with other naturalists.
In addition to her parents, Augusta was preceded in death by husbands, George Carrell and Robert C. Gray; brother, Jesse Jayne; daughter, Emily Jayne Carrell; and son, George Thomas Carrell. She will be remembered by her daughter, Ruth Carrell (Edward) Bowen, of Versailles, Kentucky; grandson, George Bowen, of Versailles; grandson, Matthew Carrell, of Valdese; sister, Irma Runge, of Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina; and a host of nieces, nephews and devoted friends.
A memorial service has been planned for Friday, Dec. 6, 2019, in Asheville. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Taylor Manor Nursing Home, 300 Berry Ave., Versailles, KY, 40383 or The Asheville Botanical Gardens, 151 W.T. Weaver Blvd., Asheville, NC, 28804.
Condolences may be expressed online at www.BlackburnandWard.com.
Mitchell News-Journal • Nov. 27, 2019