Mrs. Elizabeth Ann Gray Keaton was born on April 2, 1939. She was the daughter of the late Reuel and Ella Mae Gray of Statesville, NC. Ann (as she was generally known) departed this life on May 30, 2021 at Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital at the age of 82.

She attended and graduated from Morningside High School in Statesville, NC. She continued her education at Barber Scotia College in Concord, NC where she obtained a degree in Home Economics. After teaching for a few years in her hometown of Statesville, she married her high school sweetheart and moved to Greensboro NC. As a resident of Greensboro, she taught Special Education at Lincoln Junior High (now Lincoln Middle School) until she retired in 1993. Her great loves in this life were her husband, her daughter and her beloved grandchildren. Her love for her family was superseded only by her love of God and his teachings. She enjoyed receiving the Word of God at Bethel AME Church in Greensboro for over 40 years. She was also known to have a great love of all things chocolate and dining out with family.

Left behind to cherish her beautiful memory are her husband of 56 years William “Buddy” Keaton, daughter Tracey Keaton (Robert) Shirley of Cary, NC; grandsons Robert A. Hall III and William M. Hall of Durham,NC and granddaughter Brianna J. Hall of Cary NC. Ann is also survived by siblings John H. Gray and F. Jeannette Gray of Statesville, NC and Mary A. Smith of Catawba NC as well as several nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews. “Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uniformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him.” Thessalonians 4:13-14

A public viewing will be held on Monday, June 7, 2021 from 3pm-5pm in the Cassie Coote-Brown Memorial Chapel of Perry J. Brown Funeral Home. A service honoring her life will be held at Bethel AME Church 200 Regan Street Greensboro, NC 27401 on Tuesday, June 8, 2021. The visitation will begin at 11:30am and the service will follow at 12:00pm. Burial Guilford Memorial Park.

Services Entrusted to Perry J. Brown Funeral Home (336)-272-6109