Bettye D. Gray

Until her arrival at Westminster Canterbury, Bettye (nee Dillon) Gray, except for her years as a student at Salem Academy in Winston Salem, NC, followed by enrollment at Richmond Professional Institute of the College of William and Mary (today Virginia Commonwealth University), called Lexington, North Carolina home.  When she graduated from RPI with a major in psychology she returned to Lexington and established a private kindergarten where she served as its teacher for two years.  

In 1949, Bettye married Clayton Carswell Gray, Jr. (deceased 1968), also from Lexington and someone Bettye had known since childhood.  With her marriage, Bettye left her teaching job to work with Clayton in the office of his construction company. At the time of her husband’s death, Bettye, before closing the business, oversaw the completion of all the active projects.

Bettye has two sons.  Zeb and his wife Jan live in Lynchburg, while Clayton and wife Pam reside in Southmont, North Carolina.  She has one grandchild.   

Bettye is well known in Lexington for her volunteer work, primarily through her church, First United Methodist, and the Charity League of Lexington. Interests for Bettye include reading and history.  Her son Zeb says that Bettye’s involvement with history goes beyond interest, that it’s a passion, especially in the area of early American design and home decoration.