Obituary of Gwendolyn Grayson

Dorothy Gwendolyn Partin Grayson passed away in Hixson, TN on Sunday, June 9, 2019 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s Disease.

Gwen was born on December 29, 1939 to Charles Warren and Ruby (Ward) Partin. She grew up in Clayton County, Georgia and spent most of her life there. She was the youngest and last surviving sibling of sisters, Virginia Harbin of Augusta, Georgia; Marline Sargent of Jonesboro, Georgia; and brother Charles Partin, Jr. of Morrow, Georgia. After graduating from Jonesboro High School in 1958, she went to work at the Clayton County Ordinary’s Office and then worked at the Clayton County Superior Court Clerk’s Office.  In 1960, she was crowned Miss Clayton County and went on to represent the county in the Miss Georgia Pageant of 1960.

She met Jerry Grayson, her husband of fifty-six years, through mutual friends on a blind date, and married him at Morrow United Methodist Church in 1962. Jerry and Gwen raised three daughters: Jan Margaret, Amy Sabrina, and Jill Louise.

Gwen was very active in church and civic activities throughout the years and decided to run for public office in 1980. As a member of the Morrow City Council between 1980 - 1986, she served as Mayor Pro Tem, chairman of the Morrow Beautification Committee, co-chairman of the parks and recreation committee, an advisory board member for the Clayton County Regional Police Academy, and as a member of the State Municipal Governance Committee. She was passionate about the city of Morrow and worked tirelessly to earn a superior rating in the Governor’s Certified City program. In 1982, Morrow became the third city in the state of Georgia to receive this superior rating.

She worked many years as a legal secretary for Arthur Morrison, attorney at law and then in the Clayton County Voter Registration Office. She retired from Clayton County Government in 2005.

Gwen was an avid reader who loved mysteries and crime fiction. She was always quick to volunteer for all sorts of organizations, and she never shied away from chairing a committee. Gwen and Jerry were active members of McDonough Road Baptist Church in Fayetteville, Georgia. They were fortunate to have many life-long friends with whom they loved to socialize.

Gwen was widowed in November of 2018 when her beloved husband, Jerry, passed away from cancer. She is survived by her aunt, Thelma Smith; daughters Jan Capes (Pat), Amy Adams (Gene), and Jill Scalia (Ted); and seven grandchildren, Patrick Adams (Franklin Vides), Bonnie Adams, Claire Adams, Emma Capes, Davis Capes, Clark Scalia, and Audrey Scalia.

A graveside service will be held at Davis Cemetery in Whitwell, Tennessee on Wednesday, June 12 at 11:00 a.m. (Central Time). Family will receive visitors at Reed Funeral Home in Whitwell, Tennessee between 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. before the graveside service.

A memorial service will be held on Thursday, June 13 at 3:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) at McDonough Road Baptist Church in Fayetteville, Georgia. The family will receive visitors in the lobby of the church beginning at 2:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Alzheimer’s Association at www.alz.org or to McDonough Road Baptist Church.