The only child born to Eleanor "Liz" Blue Boyd and James Boyd "JB" Nickens on January 13, 1943, in Linden, VA. She was affectionately called "Buggie" as she was a 2lb, 1oz preemie or E'beth by family and friends.

Buggie was raised in the metropolitan District of Columbia area ("DC") and educated in DC public schools. While she first experienced motherhood at an early age, Buggie did not allow that to deter her from working to provide a good life for herself and her daughter. She obtained her GED, and in 1963, she met and married Josh Gray. From that union, three sons were born. E'beth continued her education, earning an Associate of Accounting degree from Prince George's Community College while parenting four children who often accompanied her to class. While in school, she also worked full-time for the U.S. Postal Service.

E'beth was a loving mother who attended all of her children's sports activities. Whether it was football, basketball, baseball, or softball, she kept her children busy and instilled in them a strong work ethic. E'beth's home was always open to family and friends. Her sons' friends considered the Gray house a home away from home and a sure place to receive a good meal.

Buggie was an entrepreneur at heart. She started her own payroll and finance business, CompuChex, where she provided bookkeeping and payroll services for other small businesses. The family business, The Fisherman's Catch was a restaurant and bar in Coral Hills, MD that employed members of her family and the neighborhood. Outside of spending time with her immediate family, E'beth's other interests included participating in the family book club where aunts and cousins would share books and a good meal; reading and studying the bible; playing softball and baseball; and Bid Whist and Spades.

Buggie was smart as a whistle, a wordsmith, and an avid Scrabble player. Her unofficial Scrabble club consisted of Liz, Pearl, Barbara, and Aunt Bate. Together, they played Scrabble tournaments and earned trophies. Rule #1, if you came to play with Buggie, you'd better be ready. You could always count on her to maximize her score by linking words in several directions at once and knowing all of the words that began with the letter "Q" not followed by the letter "U". If you were going to challenge a word she played, be ready to take a zero.

In the late '90s, E'beth relocated to North Carolina and settled in the Winston Salem area. As a woman of faith, she found a Christian community that nurtured her spiritually and a church home at Greater Galilee Baptist Church. During the time that E'beth was in North Carolina, she developed a strong circle of friends, and her relocation inspired two children and one grandchild to follow her to North Carolina as well. Buggie was very involved with her grandchildren and great grandchildren and welcomed their summer and holiday visits.

E'beth is preceded in death by her parents Eleanor "Liz" Boyd and James Boyd Nickens, stepfather Bill Boyd, and only daughter Rita Nickens. She is survived by her husband Josh Gray of Waldorf, MD; three sons Terence (Debra) of Atlanta, GA, Byron A. Gray-El of Locust Grove, VA, and Kyle A. Gray-El of Winston Salem, NC; her brother Robert Nickens; sisters Mary Jackson and Gwen Kelly; seven grandchildren: Mine' Braswell, Rita K. Gray, Prince Gray, Deirdre Gray, Marcus Gray, Cora Gray and Gabriel Gray; two great-grandchildren Myani Gray and Chianne McCullough, as well as a host of loving cousins, nieces, and nephews. She has three very dear friends Pearl Higginbotham, Barbara Williams, and Barbara Donaldson who are left to remember her love and friendship as well as other friends and associates that touched her life along the way.

Funeral services will be held  at 1:00pm Saturday February 26, 2022 at Great Galilee Baptist Church 1355 Peachtree St Winston-Salem, NC 27107. Her remains may be viewed Friday February 25, 2022 from 12pm-6pm at the funeral home.