Patricia Helene Bray

Patricia "Pat" Bray of Grantsburg, Wisconsin died Tuesday (10/22/13) at her daughter’s home in Rush City at the age of 72 years. Patty Gaffney was born to William and Dorothy Gaffney on October 4th 1941 and was soon joined by brothers Bill and Tim. Pat grew up in Minneapolis, MN and attended Patrick Henry High School in North Minneapolis. After graduation Pat was briefly married to her first husband and had her son Jeff. Pat and Jeff lived with her parents in Minneapolis and Pat worked at Honeywell. One day Pat's friend was unable to pick her up for work and sent his buddy Wayne Bray instead. Pat would later find out that Wayne had been asking to meet Pat for some time and this was a setup to make that happen. Pat and Wayne began dating and were married on December 2nd 1967. Pat became a homemaker, mother and wife. Soon Debbie came along and then Mark and a bit later Lisa the baby of the family. Homemaker and mother were the roles Pat was born to play. She devoted herself fully to Wayne and her 4 children. She never missed a school play...a drama competition or a sporting event. She volunteered at her children's schools and was the mom all the other kids wished they had. Her door was always open and she was always there to listen to anyone's problems. Pat may have been an amazing mom, but that was nothing compared to what came next...GRANDMA PAT! First came Dana followed by Nick, Kyle, Luke and MacKenzie. These five grandchildren were the absolute light of Pat's life. You would be hard pressed to find her wearing something that didn't have the word Grandma on it. These five babies are what kept Pat going long after health issues began plaguing her. She swore she would see all her grandchildren graduate high school and although she did not live to see Luke and MacKenzie graduate she will be with them none the less. Through the loss of her husband Wayne and then her eldest child Jeff her children and grandchildren are what kept Pat going. In her final years Pat found herself dividing her time between her home in Grantsburg WI and her daughter Lisa's home in Rush City. She also spent many weeks at her son Mark's home in Minneapolis. This time with her children and grandchildren was exactly how Pat wanted her final days to be spent and her children will cherish this time with her forever. Pat went peacefully in her sleep and is now reunited with her loving husband Wayne, her son Jeff and all others that had gone before her. She was loved fully and will be missed. Pat Bray is survived by her children Debra Jackson of Grantsburg, Mark Bray of Minneapolis, Lisa Logue of Rush City and grandchildren: Dana, Nick, Kyle, Luke and MacKenzie. Pat was preceded in death by her parents Bill and Dorothy Gaffney, husband Wayne Bray, son Jeff Ball and her brothers Bill and Tim Gaffney. A celebration of Pat's Life is planned for Saturday November 2nd from 11am to 2 pm at the Bulrush Golf Course in Rush City. A family burial will take place in the Epiphany Cemetery in Coon Rapids. Funeral arrangements for Pat Bray of Grantsburg are entrusted to the: Funeral and Cremation Service of Rush City ~ Olson Chapel. www.funeralandcremationservice.com