Ellen G. Wray, 96, Harrisonville, MO, passed away Tuesday, February 9, 2021 at Research Medical Center in Kansas City, MO.  Funeral services were  held Monday, February 15, 2021 at the Atkinson Funeral Home in Harrisonville.   A private family burial will be held in Shawnee Cemetery in Warsaw, MO.  Memorial contributions may be made to First Christian Church, Harrisonville.

Ellen came into this world on November 9, 1924 at home near Latham, MO, to James Aubrey and Frances Amanda (Jobe) Griffin, probably delivered by Dr. Robinson, a country doctor living in Latham.  She was the last of six children, Maxine, Wayne, Annie Lee, Grover, Glen and Ellen.  They lived on a small farm when her dad did diversified farming.  They lived about a half mile from the country school, Hazel Diel.  All six children went through the eighth grade in this same school.  They had to be careful what they did because you were told on at the evening meal.  She didn't remember her older sister and brother being at home as they had to go to a bigger town to high school.  It was always fun when they got to go visit them.  They both had jobs and didn't come home much.  Horseback riding, wading in the creek, (catching tadpoles), building a play house under a tree or in a vacant shed, were some of her best memories.  Softball was every Sunday afternoon for anyone who wanted to play.  There was a man always around to organize the games and coach them while playing.  They didn't have uniforms; just played and had fun and enjoyed the company.

At age 16, Ellen taught at her first school; a country school with all ages.  She taught another year and then married, Robert K. Wray.  They had a double wedding with his buddy in Baltimore, Maryland on May 28, 1945.  They had four children with only one that survived, Patrick Franklyn Wray.  He blessed them with three grandsons, Michael, Matthew, and Miles, and one great-granddaughter, Zoey.  They moved to Harrisonville in 1949 and she started teaching her first class of 29 boys and 5 girls at Harrisonville Public Schools.  She continued her teaching career for 30 years before retiring in 1985 and continued teaching as a substitute teacher for several years after she retired.

Ellen found time to be a 4-H leader, a scout leader, and a Sunday school teacher.  After retirement, Ellen made numerous quilts; she quilted for others, made baby quilts, and made lap robes for children that she donated to the Project Linus organization through the Missouri Highway Patrol in Lee's Summit, Missouri, serving the Kansas City metro area.  She received numerous awards for her beautiful quilts at several local festivals and community events.  Ellen was a member of the quilters group at the First Christian Church and also at the United Methodist Church in Harrisonville.  Ellen was a member of the Cass County Retired Teachers Association and the Missouri Retired Teachers Association.  She was a long-time member of the First Christian Church in Harrisonville.  She was also a member of the Cass Medical Center Auxiliary for many years and was a 66-year member and past matron of the Harrisonville Bayard Chapter No. 179, Order of Eastern Star.  She was an avid bridge player and enjoyed playing for many years.

Ellen was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Robert, two sons, one daughter, two sisters, and three brothers.  She is survived by one son, Patrick Wray, Harrisonville, MO; three grandsons, Michael Wray, Matthew Wray and Miles Wray, and one great-granddaughter, Zoey.