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(1951 Graduate Of Bryan High School)
Elsie L. Gray, 94, of Bryan, passed away peacefully Sunday, June 14, 2026, at Community Health Professionals Inpatient Hospice Center in Defiance.
Elsie was born Oct. 7, 1931, in South Bend, Indiana, the daughter of the late August and Helena Marie (VanDeBussche) Van Poppel.
She was a 1951 graduate of Bryan High School. Elsie married Mickey Gray on Oct. 21, 1967, in Angola, Indiana, and he preceded her in death on Feb. 8, 1997.
Elsie was a telephone operator for GTE. She later worked in the ladies’ apparel department at Kmart.
She then worked in the cafeteria at St. Patrick Catholic School. She provided care to many families who needed her help.
She was a member of St. Patrick Catholic Church, Bryan. Elsie enjoyed playing cards, showing her artistic side, painting portraits, and spending time with family and friends, but she always enjoyed having fun.
Surviving is her daughter, Paula Keller of Bryan; five grandchildren, Lisa (Mike) Martinez, Christina (Andy) Bonnett, Matthew (Danielle) Keller, Andrew (Jillian) Keller and Alex Keller; ten great-grandchildren, Micayla Martinez and Marissa Martinez, Caitlin Wood, Jennica (Michael) Rogers, Ali Bonnett and Aidan Bonnett, Gavin Keller, Layla Keller, Olive Keller and Cohen Keller; two great-great-grandchildren, Blaze and Otto Rogers; and stepson, Michael (Rosemary) Gray of Cedar Springs, Michigan.
She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Mickey; and two brothers, Ted and Louis Van Poppel.
A gathering of family and friends will be held Thursday, June 25, 2026, from 4–7 p.m. in the Oberlin-Turnbull Funeral Home, 206 North Lynn St., Bryan, with the recitation of the Rosary beginning at 6:45 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, June 26, 2026, at St. Patrick Catholic Church, 610 Portland St., with Father Andrew Wellmann officiating. Private interment will take place in Fountain Grove Cemetery, Bryan.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to St. Patrick Catholic Church. Condolences may be sent to the family, or memories may be shared at www.oberlinturnbull.com.
