Clara Mae Gray

Clara Mae Gray died Friday morning, March 11, 2016, at Summit Healthcare Regional Medical Center in Show Low of natural causes.  She was 71 years old.  Clara was born on a Thursday, June 29, 1944 in San Angelo, Tom Greene County, Texas to her parents, the late Albert Howard and Lillian Beatrice (Sawyer) Bradford.Throughout her working career, Clara worked as a bookkeeper in various industries, including the oil industry and Big-O Tires.  Her bookkeeping talents were expert and those with whom she worked could always depend on her for her accuracy and organizational  skills.  In 1979, Clara moved to Arizona, making her home in Phoenix.  For several years she and her husband, Doug, lived part of the year in Overgaard while he was building the Salvation Army's Camp Ponderosa in the Heber/Overgaard area.  In 2004, Clara and Doug made Overgaard their fulltime home.  They loved their life together along the Mogollon Rim and have always appreciated the beauty of the mountains.Clara was a natural born artist and enjoyed many handicrafts of all types.  She loved cross-stitching and had won a "Best Show" from the Arizona State Fair, for a counter cross-stitching piece she had made.  Clara also enjoyed ceramic painting, petit point and quilting.  Over the years, she had made hundreds of her gifted creations that are now priceless treasures to her family.  Clara had a beautiful family and, as her husband says, "She loved 'm all." Clara is survived by her husband, Doug Gray of Overgaard, Arizona; her son:  Steven W. (Tamara) Walker of Alamagordo, New Mexico; 2 step-daughters:  Dee Ann Moss of Seattle, Washington, Brooke Banwar of Seattle, Washington; 2 sisters:  Anita (Sam) Danhiem) of San Angelo, Texas, Doris (Dodd) Price of San Angelo, Texas and she is also survived by 8 grandchildren.  Along with her parents, Clara was preceded in death by her daughter, Catherine Strauch in 1993 as well as 2 brothers:  Jim Bradford and Harold Bradford, Jr.A private family gathering will take place at a later date when her ashes will be spread in the beauty of the Mogollon Rim.