Oneta “Gayle” Gray, 79, passed away on April 9, 2022, at her home in Fort Stockton, Texas.

Visitation was held on April 12, 2022, at Eternity Funeral Home Chapel in Fort Stockton.

Funeral service was held on April 13, 2022, at Eternity Funeral Home Chapel with Pastor Scott Owens officiating. Burial followed at East Hill Cemetery. Arrangements were entrusted to Eternity Funeral Home.

Gayle was born in Houston, Texas, to Opal Holland on Sept. 25, 1942. She made her way to West Texas in the late 1950s where she met and married the love of her life, Gary Gray, on March 13, 1968. They celebrated 54 years together just last month.

In 1981 Gayle and Gary opened Triple G Western Wear in Fort Stockton. It was a dream for them to own and operate their business together, and they enjoyed several prosperous years. If you lived in Fort Stockton in the 1980s, there’s a good chance she steamed your cowboy hat, or helped you find the perfect pair of jeans and boots for hard work, hard business, or hard play.

In 1999 Gayle went on an adventure. She moved across the country to be close to her son Randy in Bullhead City, Ariz. She worked as a server at The Paddlewheel inside the Colorado Belle in Laughlin, Nev.

Gayle was very much a social butterfly, and she enjoyed meeting people from all over the world as they sat at her tables and enjoyed her exceptional service. She proudly wore a name tag proclaiming her home state of Texas, and showed her diners true Texas hospitality. It was there that she made the greatest friend she ever knew, Mary Goulette. Their families became family to each other. The Texas girl and the California girl surprised all with the laughs and adventures they shared.

Gayle moved back to her family in Fort Stockton in the late 2000s. From this point on, she and Gary travelled all over with her daughter LaVonda and her husband Don. She enjoyed visits from her children, grandchildren, and her great grandchildren often. Her love language was food, and if she ever cooked and shared a meal with you, you knew her love. She passed this gift to her daughters and granddaughters, and though it isn’t all written down, her recipes will live on and feed her family for generations to come.

We know it was a joyful reunion when Gayle passed from this life. She was surely welcomed by her daughter Carrie Dale, her mother Opal Holland, her daughter-in-law Laine Williams, her sister June Ross, her dearest friend Mary Goulette, and her beloved dog Roxie.

Gayle is survived by her husband Gary; her children Rickey Williams and his wife Debbie, Randy Williams, LaVonda Vering and her husband Don; and her sister Loretta Keith and her husband Billy John. Gayle was close to her sisters and her in laws, and her nieces and nephews grew up alongside her children, and she cherished them all. Gayle also leaves behind the legacy of nine grandchildren, and 20 great grandchildren, and she knew and adored them all.

Memorials may be sent to Eternity Funeral Home, or to Gayle’s home at 814 Scissortail Lane in Fort Stockton.

The family wishes to extend our sincere thanks to Dr. Young, and to hospice staff Adrianna, Rachel, and Lyzeth, and Chaplain Scott Owens.